ABC News quietly republishes gutted version of story on Trump sons it had deleted without explanation

ABC News added an editor's note and corrections to a deleted report on Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump's investments, including 1789 Capital's stake in Anduril. (Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

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ABC News quietly republished a watered-down version of a previously deleted report scrutinizing the business dealings of President Donald Trump's oldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, on Friday evening. The original report, published earlier in the week, was removed following criticism of its accuracy.

The original report, which remains accessible through the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, was published Wednesday afternoon 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 at the time.

However, the revised report reappeared on ABC News' website Friday with an editor's note, factual corrections and a new headline: "New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest."

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Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of development and acquisitions for the Trump Organization, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York City on July 15, 2025. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The article's byline was also changed to "ABC News."

The editor's note acknowledged errors involving descriptions of company investments, government contracts and the chronology of events.

"Editor’s Note: CORRECTION: A version of this story published on Oct. 7 contained errors in the description of certain company investments, government contracts and event chronologies," the statement read. "After subsequent reporting, this version contains corrected information and additional context regarding some of those investments, contracts and events."

ABC News removed a report about the business dealings of President Donald Trump's sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, before publishing a revised version with an editor's note acknowledging reporting errors. ( )

ABC News' decision to remove the report without an immediate public explanation drew criticism from media industry figures.

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 said "1789 Capital does not have a 'major stake' in Anduril" and challenged the article's characterization of the Trump brothers' involvement in other companies.

"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," Henning wrote.

1789 Capital is the venture firm in which Trump Jr. serves as a partner.

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.

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President Donald Trump appears on stage to deliver remarks at Tradepoint Atlantic on October 06, 2026, in Sparrows Point, Maryland.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

"1789 Capital — a venture capital firm that lists Donald Trump Jr. as one of six partners along with three founders — claimed a major stake in Anduril in June 2025 from a $2.5 billion investment into the company," ABC News reported in the deleted story.

The revised article also states that Trump Jr. does not sit on the three-person committee responsible for investment decisions, according to a spokesperson for 1789 Capital.

The updated story states that 1789 Capital previously invested $50 million in defense contractor Anduril, which ABC valued at approximately $60 billion.

The initial removal drew the attention of Trump Jr., who took to X to mock California Gov. Gavin Newsom after the story was taken down.

"ABC deleted this article in less than 24 hours because it’s false. Sounds about as long as your presidential campaign would last," he wrote on X.

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.

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"This is bad. @ABC must take responsibility for their failed journalism. Basic journalistic ethics requires it," Ackman wrote on X. "A quiet unexplained withdrawal of a false article does not constitute a proper error correction."

Fox News Digital reached out to ABC News, Trump Jr. and 1789 Capital for comment.

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Julia Bonavita is a media and culture writer for Fox News Digital, and a Fox Flight Team drone pilot. You can follow her at @juliabonavita13 on all platforms and send story tips to julia.bonavita@fox.com.