FAKE NEWS: ABC Omits Key Detail from Brief on $12B Farm Relief

Jorge Bonilla
December 9th, 2025 12:26 AM

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In a rush to cast a pall on one element of President Trump’s announced farm relief, ABC’s Rachel Scott omitted another. Thus was the prophecy fulfilled when President Trump earlier referred to Scott's employer as “ABC Fake News.”

Watch as Scott mischaracterized the aid received by farmers as “taxpayer money”, although it isn’t:

DAVID MUIR: President Trump's proposal to give American farmers a $12 billion bailout now in taxpayer money in part because of the pain caused by the president’s tariff policy?

RACHEL SCOTT: Yes. David. And American farmers have been struggling across the country for months, China refused to buy American soybeans because of that ongoing trade war. This $12 billion is taxpayer money and it's not the first time the president has had to help out farmers because of his policies. During his first term, he provided $20 billion to farmers because of his trade policies too, David.

MUIR: Rachel Scott, live at The White House tonight. Rachel, thank you. 

This exchange closed out Scott’s impromptu wrap-up, which was otherwise about the continued controversy over the decision to order additional strikes against a Cartel of the Suns narcovessel in the Caribbean. And it immediately begins with a key omission.

It is true that the Chinese had stopped purchasing American soy. But Scott leaves out that the Chinese have begun purchasing again, pursuant to the trade framework announced between the United States and China. In a pinch, Scott could’ve checked with…ABC News.

During Trump's high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi in late October, the U.S. and China announced a framework trade agreement that included a deal on soybeans. China agreed to purchase 12 million metric tons of soybeans in the final two months of this year and 25 million metric tons in 2026, 2027 and 2028 -- on par with levels before the trade war. 

So far, China has purchased about 2.2 million metric tons of soybeans from the U.S. since the end of October, USDA data shows.

Additionally, the report mischaracterizes the farm assistance as “taxpayer money.” Again, per ABC News:

President Donald Trump announced a total $12 billion in funding to help American farmers during an event on Monday, and said that it would come from tariff revenue.

"I'm delighted to announce this afternoon that the United States will be taking a small portion of the hundreds of billions of dollars we receive in tariffs. ... and we're going to be giving and providing it to the farmers in economic assistance. And we love our farmers," the president said.

The assistance is coming from tariff revenue, but Scott makes it seem like the administration is raiding the treasury in order to make these temporary relief payments. And, again, they are temporary because the Chinese are purchasing American soy at agreed-upon intervals.

As we’ve often said, much of what passes for news reporting these days is anti-news- politically charged narrative as opposed to plain facts that the viewer can assess on their own. Reports like these are why trust in the news is at all-time lows. 

Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Monday, December 8th, 2025:

DAVID MUIR: Tonight, President Trump backtracking over whether he will release the video of that controversial second deadly strike on those two survivors of that alleged drug boat. The first strike ignited the boat in flames and capsized. The president saying he has now seen the video of the second strike. But will the American people? What he’s now saying about that and, here's Rachel Scott.

RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, President Trump backing away from his promise to release the video of that controversial and deadly second strike on an alleged drug boat that killed two survivors. Just last week, the president said he would release the video. 

SELINA WANG: Will you release video of that strike so that the American people can see for themselves what happened?

DONALD TRUMP: I don't know what they have, but whatever we have, we'll certainly release. No problem.

SCOTT: But today when I asked him, a different story. 

Mr. President, you said you would have no problem releasing the full video of that strike on September 2nd off the coast of Venezuela. Secretary Hegseth --

TRUMP: I didn't say that. You said that. I didn't say that. This is ABC fake news.

SCOTT: You said that you would have no problem releasing the full- well, okay, Secretary Hegseth--

TRUMP: Whatever Hegseth wants to do is okay with me.

SCOTT: Over the weekend, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would not commit to releasing the video. 

PETE HEGSETH: Whatever we were to decide to release, we’d have to be very responsible about, so we’re reviewing that right now.

SCOTT: A source tells ABC News the survivors were clinging to the capsized boat. That at one point, they appeared to wave at something overhead. Democrats say the administration doesn't want the American people to see that the military fired on shipwrecked sailors in violation of the rules of law.

JIM HIMES: I think it's really important that people see what it looks like when the full force of the United States military is turned on two guys who are clinging to a piece of wood and about to go under.

SCOTT: But President Trump says he's now watched the video and that's not what he saw.

TRUMP: I saw the video. They were trying to turn the boat back to where it could float and we didn't want to see that because that boat was loaded up with drugs just like everything else.

SCOTT: So far, Secretary Hegseth will not commit to release that video but many lawmakers on Capitol Hill are trying to force the Pentagon's hand, David.

MUIR: Big questions about this. Rachel, stay with us because there's another breaking headline from The White House tonight. President Trump's proposal to give American farmers a $12 billion bailout now in taxpayer money in part because of the pain caused by the president’s tariff policy?

SCOTT: Yes. David. And American farmers have been struggling across the country for months, China refused to buy American soybeans because of that ongoing trade war. This $12 billion is taxpayer money and it's not the first time the president has had to help out farmers because of his policies. During his first term, he provided $20 billion to farmers because of his trade policies too, David.

MUIR: Rachel Scott, live at The White House tonight. Rachel, thank you.

 

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