ABC News Revises Report on Donald Trump Jr. Investments

ABC News republished a revised report on October 10, 2026, after retracting an original story that falsely claimed investments by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump secured billions in Pentagon contracts. The original article, published October 7, alleged that companies linked to the president's sons benefited from over $6 billion in government contracts. It specifically misattributed a $2.5 billion funding round for defense contractor Anduril Industries to 1789 Capital, a venture firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, when the firm had actually invested $50 million.

ABC News deleted the original story within 24 hours without an initial explanation, leading to criticism from Bill Ackman and mockery from Donald Trump Jr. The network later claimed the story was published prematurely, though emails from 1789 Capital suggest the network had vigorously defended the reporting before its removal. The reporter, Nathan Lee, deactivated his social media accounts following the deletion.

The corrected version, published without a byline, included an editor's note acknowledging errors in company investments, government contracts, and chronologies. The controversy coincides with the appointment of Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to study the future of warfare, raising ethical questions regarding potential profits from government recommendations. Anduril recently announced a $6.6 billion shipyard project in Maryland to manufacture submarine components.