If there’s one thing corporate media have made clear over the last eight years, it’s that their existence depends on degrading Donald Trump while promoting Democrats’ political agenda. Trump knows it, Americans know it, and, as former Washington Post and CNN columnist Chris Cillizza demonstrated on Monday, the press knows it too.
When Trump sued ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for falsely claiming he raped E. Jean Carroll, the Disney-owned media outlet quickly settled. Rather than subjecting itself to legal discovery, which could expose further slander against Trump, ABC News reportedly agreed to settle the matter by pledging $15 million to Trump’s presidential library fund.
The settlement didn’t sit well with media figures across the country. Chris Cillizza, in particular, erupted with frustration. He took to X, arguing that the settlement “sets an incredibly dangerous precedent — and undermines journalists doing their jobs.”
Cillizza’s complaints didn’t end there. In a 10-minute YouTube rant posted the same day, the “So What” founder criticized ABC’s decision to settle as yet another example of the media “giving in to Donald Trump.”
“They didn’t settle because they were worried about losing,” Cillizza insisted. “They settled because they didn’t want to have a high-profile fight with the incoming president of the United States.”
While acknowledging that making Trump “feel better and more comfortable … is not the role of the media,” Cillizza glosses over the fact that the press has, for years, been less interested in truth-telling and more eager to serve as de facto operatives for the Democratic Party. In ABC News’ case, that role just came at a steep price.
Notably, Cillizza — who was laid off by CNN in 2022 — once claimed in 2016 that “Reporters don’t root for a side.” Yet his latest frustrations over Trump holding outlets accountable for defamation suggest otherwise. Cillizza’s concern that Trump will be “even more aggressive in trying to police and shut down media criticism” further reveals his fear: Trump’s willingness to fight back could force long-overdue accountability on a partisan press.
“If that is the precedent — and I think it is the potential precedent — that’s a scary place. Not just for [big media companies], but for local news, who doesn’t have anywhere near the resources to defend itself, and for independent creators,” Cillizza admitted. “If Donald Trump sues someone like me, it’s really a complicated situation. Whether it’s frivolous or not, it’s a huge amount of expenditure … It’s really dangerous territory.”
Cillizza ended his video by attempting to salvage the credibility of media figures like himself, urging Americans to “trust” journalists.
“We need people calling balls and strikes that you can trust, and I really, truly believe that I am someone that you can trust,” Cillizza said.
Yet, he seems unwilling to acknowledge the very accountability required to earn back that trust. The reality is that the media’s long-running creation of hoaxes and smear campaigns targeting Trump — while openly favoring Democrats — has undermined any remaining credibility. Instead of facing retribution for spreading disinformation, outlets and individuals like Cillizza have often been rewarded.
Trump’s recent moves to hold pollsters and interviewers legally accountable mark a rare attempt to challenge the press’s unchecked malfeasance. Cillizza’s discomfort with this approach reveals how deeply he and his colleagues rely on the media’s current, partisan-driven model. His concern isn’t about protecting journalism — it’s about preserving the landscape that enabled his own career.
Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also appeared in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. She holds a degree in political science and journalism from Baylor University. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.
