Sam Donaldson on Trump, Press Freedom, and the Battle for Truth

Sam Donaldson spent decades holding presidents accountable as ABC News’ White House correspondent, earning a reputation for fearless questioning. With press freedom under growing threat — and Donald Trump again targeting journalists — I spoke with Donaldson about the stakes for democracy.

Reflecting on his career, he emphasized the vital role of an adversarial press and urged today’s journalists to stay relentless in pursuit of the truth.

Below is our conversation, edited for clarity and length.

How do you see the state of press freedom in the U.S. today compared to when you started?

Press freedom today is under a great attack. When I started in journalism it was accepted that the press was free. Today I don't have to tell any of the people who are [reading]: It's under attack. It's under attack from basically one quarter: Donald J. Trump, the president of the United States, and people who adhere to him and believe in him and what he's saying.

When he says the media is enemy of the people, he means it. And I believe him. And this is a fierce attack. And it's going to take a lot of perseverance by the people who are now in the game on the floor of the arena. I'm out of it. I had my time.

Today, because Donald J. Trump has made a point of saying that the press lies, the press does things wrong, the press is the enemy — people don't believe us. And frankly, I don't know what to do about that.

Do you think the media is doing enough to hold power accountable today?

I think the people in conventional old media ... I think they're trying desperately to hold the line. And I do think, in the end, the truth will prevail. The facts will prevail. People who won't accept them, who argue against them for one reason or another, are going to fail.

We've seen a lot of instances where media owners — whether the ultra wealthy or corporate type — soften coverage of Trump. What do you make of that?

They folded. They're very powerful. Those gentlemen that you saw during the inaugural ... Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and the man who runs the old Facebook. They were there because they believe that they would profit from the administration. What they're going to find, just like the industrialists in Germany in the 30s who supported you know who found, [is that] their support was for someone who will turn on them.

How do you respond to critics who say that the press has lost trust and to win it back it has to work harder to appeal to conservatives?

People get to decide what they think. And they think that the press is corrupt because they've been told that by someone they follow. They've been told by someone they follow that the press is incompetent. Go down the whole line of sins and they've been told that.

I once talked to a man in Buenos Aires who had been Joseph Goebbels press secretary — Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister of the last days of Nazi Germany. This man, believe it or not, he told me how it's done. He said you just tell people what you want them to hear, and you keep telling it over and over and over again. And, to the extent you can, you make certain that there are no other voices to dispute you.

Did you ever face pressure to soften or change a story due corporate influence?

Never. I worked during an age in the 60s when the news departments of the three big networks — ABC, CBS, NBC — were not required to make money. The bosses had lots of money coming in from the soap operas and from the great entertainment programs. It was only when cable began to take the audiences that they came to us and said you have to make money. So what do you do? We looked for the three-headed cows to put on the evening news.

What’s the biggest challenge facing journalists in 2025?

I think the biggest challenge is not to give up ... We can't give up. It's easy for me to say that. I'm out of the game now. And these boys and girls who are fighting this good fight today — I never had it that bad. I've never had anyone try to tell me what to do. I never had anyone call management and say you should be fired. I think many presidents felt that, but understood we had different jobs and that, like it or not, we were there for the good of the country.