Punishing Propagandists Starts With Starving Them Of GOP Guests

Vice President J.D. Vance was nearly 13 minutes into a masterful media takedown of ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Sunday when he was muted and the show abruptly cut to a commercial break.

Stephanopoulos’ swift censorship of his guest came mere moments after Vance checked him for “going down some weird left-wing rabbit hole” by insinuating White House Border Czar Tom Homan engaged in criminal activity.

“George, you’ve covered this story ad nauseam. Tom Homan did not take a bribe. It’s a ridiculous smear. And the reason you guys are going after Tom Homan so aggressively is because he’s doing the job of enforcing the law,” Vance said earlier in the segment.

When Stephanopoulos refused to let the issue go, Vance turned his attention to calling out the host and his cronies in the corporate media for being propagandists who have sabotaged Americans’ trust.

“And here’s, George, why fewer and fewer people watch your program and why you’re losing credibility, because you’re talking for now five minutes with the vice president of the United States about this story regarding Tom Homan, a story that I have read about, but I don’t even know the video that you’re talking about,” Vance said. “Meanwhile, low-income women can’t get food because the Democrats and Chuck Schumer have shut down the government.”

Vance noted that the Democrat-induced shutdown could hold consequences such as no pay for U.S. troops. Instead of focusing on timely coverage of those consequences, however, the VP pointed out that Stephanopoulos is “focused on a bogus story.”

“[You’re] insinuating criminal wrongdoing against a guy who has done nothing wrong, instead of focusing on the fact that our country is struggling because our government shut down,” Vance said.

It was after Vance implored the host to “talk about the real issues” instead of chasing a story “where the facts clearly show that Tom Homan didn’t engage in any criminal wrongdoing” that Stephanopoulos’ mask started slipping.

“It’s not a weird left-wing rabbit hole. I didn’t insinuate anything. I asked you whether Tom Homan accepted $50,000 as was heard on an audiotape recorded by the FBI in September 2024, and you did not answer the question. Thank you for your time this morning,” Stephanopoulos retorted before ushering in the program’s fade to break.

Vance tried to continue the sparring with a clarification, but his “No, George, I said that I don’t…” was swiftly silenced by the producers.

Stephanopoulos wants Americans to believe he is an arbiter of truth. In reality, the ABC host is a career Democrat propagandist who has nothing to gain and everything to lose. As Vance accurately noted before his mic was cut, Stephanopoulos has already lost viewers and directly contributed to Americans’ record-low trust in media to report the news, yet still has the audacity to spew lies onscreen.

Stephanopoulos should have learned his lesson after his network was forced to fork out $15 million to Trump’s presidential library fund after he repeated the false claim that the Republican raped E. Jean Carroll. Instead, the former Clinton White House Communications Director is employing the same sore loser tactics he’s always used to escape accountability from his guests — specifically Vance.

In 2024, Stephanopoulos quickly went to a commercial break without giving Vance a chance to respond after the then-Senator affirmed that the president should have “Article 2 prerogative under the Constitution to actually run the military as he sees fit.”

“You’ve made it very clear you believe the president can defy the Supreme Court,” Stephanopoulos quipped.

Vance tried to interject, but was muted mid-sentence.

If Stephanopoulos has made one thing clear over his last two decades in media, it’s that he will not relent until Republicans, especially high-profile ones like Vance, make him.

For years, Stephanopoulos’ conduct has disqualified him from ever getting the privilege of a Republican on his show again. The hoaxer’s repeated mistreatment of Vance only confirms that anyone touting the truth will not be tolerated.

Time and time again, The Federalist has reminded Republicans that their default assumption should always be that the corporate media is hostile and acting in bad faith, because they are.

The media’s incessant bullying of conservative politicians, voters, and their beliefs can be skilfully combatted by calling out their depravity, as Vance and others have done. When media mouthpieces like Stephanopoulos play dirty by cutting mics, however, the best way to neutralize their false narratives is to walk out, if the opportunity presents itself, or refuse to participate in the one-sided charade any longer.

Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.