ABC News Republished Revised Report on Trump Sons' Business Dealings

<p>ABC News republished a revised version of a previously deleted report regarding the business dealings of President Donald Trump's sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, on Friday evening. The original report, published earlier in the week, was removed after criticism concerning its accuracy.</p><p>The initial report, which can still be accessed through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, was published on Wednesday under the headline, "Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election." ABC News removed the report less than 24 hours later without a public explanation.</p><p>The revised report appeared on ABC News' website on Friday with an editor's note, factual corrections, and a new headline: "New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest."</p><p>The article's byline was changed to "ABC News." The editor's note acknowledged errors related to descriptions of company investments, government contracts, and the chronology of events.</p><p>ABC News' decision to remove the report without an immediate public explanation received criticism from media industry figures.</p><p>ABC News' revisions followed public criticism from 1789 Capital spokesperson Alexa Henning, who disputed the original report's description of the firm's investments. Henning stated, "1789 Capital does not have a 'major stake' in Anduril" and challenged the characterization of the Trump brothers' involvement in other companies.</p><p>Henning noted, "Here's a small lesson, that I also explained to ABC, the ‘reporter’ who is a complete idiot conflated raising funds with investment by 1789. Those are two separate actions." 1789 Capital is the venture firm in which Trump Jr. serves as a partner.</p><p>The initial report incorrectly attributed a $2.5 billion investment in Anduril to 1789 Capital. The revised article clarified that the figure represented the total funding Anduril raised last year.</p><p>The revised article also stated that Trump Jr. does not sit on the three-person committee responsible for investment decisions, according to a spokesperson for 1789 Capital.</p><p>The updated story indicated that 1789 Capital previously invested $50 million in defense contractor Anduril, which ABC valued at approximately $60 billion.</p><p>The initial removal drew attention from Trump Jr., who took to X to mock California Governor Gavin Newsom after the story was taken down. He stated, "ABC deleted this article in less than 24 hours because it’s false. Sounds about as long as your presidential campaign would last."</p><p>Bill Ackman, founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, criticized ABC News on social media for removing the article without issuing a public correction at the time. He remarked, "This is bad. @ABC must take responsibility for their failed journalism. Basic journalistic ethics requires it. A quiet unexplained withdrawal of a false article does not constitute a proper error correction."</p><p>Fox News Digital reached out to ABC News, Trump Jr., and 1789 Capital for comment.</p>