On Friday, ABC News released a corrected version of an article that seemed to have been deleted earlier in the week, which made claims about the business activities of Donald Trump’s eldest sons.
It wasn’t immediately clear why ABC News removed its October 7 article that linked a $2.5 billion investment in U.S. defense contractor Anduril to 1789 Capital, a venture capital firm founded in 2022 where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner.
The initial headline read “Trump sons’ investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election,” but was eventually republished under a different title: “New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest.”
In the revised version, an editor’s note stated, “CORRECTION: A version of this story published on Oct. 7 contained errors in the description of certain company investments, government contracts, and event chronologies. After subsequent reporting, this version contains corrected information and additional context regarding some of those investments, contracts, and events.”
The Daily Caller News Foundation contacted both ABC News and 1789 Capital for comments.
A spokesperson for 1789 Capital informed Fox News that the updated article clarified that Trump Jr. is not part of the three-member committee that makes investment decisions for the firm.
ABC News made these revisions after 1789 Capital spokesperson Alexa Henning stated that the firm “does not have a ‘major stake’ in Anduril,” according to Fox News.
Henning also pointed out that the “reporter” had mistakenly mixed up raising funds with actual investments by 1789, which are two distinct actions. That’s something I kind of thought myself when I read the original article.
CNN’s chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, posted on X that he heard ABC’s original article was “published prematurely,” but he speculated that there might be more to this story, as the explanation given didn’t seem fully adequate.
However, Henning quickly dismissed that notion in a response to Stelter.
Lol no. It was published, posted on X, and was viral with many prominent Dems reposting. It wasn’t until we pointed out the majority if not all of it was false that they deleted it.
— Alexa Henning (@alexahenning) October 9, 2026
In her response, Henning refuted the idea that the article was prematurely published, noting that it went viral and was shared widely by prominent Democrats before they highlighted its inaccuracies.
One of those Democrats, California Governor Gavin Newsom, tweeted the day ABC’s original article came out, expressing that “[t]he American people were fleeced” and that “[a]ccountability is coming.”
Trump Jr. responded to Newsom later that day, saying, “ABC deleted this article in less than 24 hours because it’s false. Sounds about as long as your presidential campaign would last.”
ABC deleted this article in less than 24 hours because it’s false. Sounds about as long as your presidential campaign would last.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 8, 2026
It’s interesting to note that Trump Jr. was engaged to Newsom’s ex-wife, Kimberly Guilfoyle, from December 2020 to late 2024, while Guilfoyle currently serves as the U.S. ambassador to Greece. She’s been under scrutiny following reports that she asked a donor to discreetly provide her with $100,000 shortly before her Senate confirmation. Meanwhile, Trump Jr. married socialite Bettina Anderson in December 2025, and Newsom has been with actress Jennifer Siebel since 2008.
