ABC World News Tonight opened their newscast by stoking recession fears among their viewership. This, just one day after being the only network evening newscast not to report on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key indicator for inflation, coming in below expectations.
Watch David Muir’s hysterical, five-alarm open to Mary Bruce’s report:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
3/13/25
6:33 PM
DAVID MUIR: And we begin here with the stock market dropping again, as President Trump escalates his trade war with America’s allies. The Dow closing down more than 500 points today, the S&P 500 now in correction territory tonight. All of this today after the president announced a 200% tariff on all wine, champagne, and alcohol from France and other European countries. His retaliation for the European tariffs on American goods that were a response to President Trump's tariffs in the first place. The Dow tonight closing down 537 points, closing at 40,813. President Trump today with NATO's secretary-general visiting, defending his tariffs saying, “I'm not going to bend at all.” And tonight here, the new poll just in, showing Americans are growing very concerned, weighing in on the president's handling of the economy so far and on his tariffs on our neighbors Canada and Mexico. ABC's Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce leading us off tonight.
MARY BRUCE: Tonight, an ominous new sign the president's escalating trade war is taking a real toll on the American economy. The Dow plunging more than 500 points. And for the first time in two years, the S&P 500 closing down 10% from its recent peak. Going into what's known as correction territory. An alarm bell for investors that the current roller coaster ride is far from over. Still, President Trump insisting he's not backing down from his sweeping tariffs.
They made it bleed so it could lead. Muir’s overwrought opening that could’ve served as its own brief is the tell that ABC relished in packaging and delivering this story the way they did.
It bears noting that there isn’t even a negative GDP quarter on the books yet. It is also important to note that when the Biden administration reported two negative quarters, the media totally ignored it, which bought the administration enough time to change the definition of “recession”. One imagines that the media will revert to the classical definition of “recession” should two consecutive negative quarters happen under Trump.
The report was vintage Mary Bruce: equal parts Democrat servility and economic doom. The report was laced with scary words and dark undertones. Additionally, there was the prerequisite “victim” testimony: in this case, from a New York wine merchant whose product mix is 70% from Europe.
Based on the reporting this week, we can assess that the media will report any potential economic downturn under Trump with none of the deference accorded to Joe Biden.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on ABC World News Tonight on Thursday, March 13th, 2025:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
3/13/25
6:33 PM
DAVID MUIR: And we begin here with the stock market dropping again, as President Trump escalates his trade war with America’s allies. The Dow closing down more than 500 points today, the S&P 500 now in correction territory tonight. All of this today after the president announced a 200% tariff on all wine, champagne, and alcohol from France and other European countries. His retaliation for the European tariffs on American goods that were a response to President Trump's tariffs in the first place. The Dow tonight closing down 537 points, closing at 40,813. President Trump today with NATO's secretary-general visiting, defending his tariffs saying, “I'm not going to bend at all.” And tonight here, the new poll just in, showing Americans are growing very concerned, weighing in on the president's handling of the economy so far and on his tariffs on our neighbors Canada and Mexico. ABC's Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce leading us off tonight.
MARY BRUCE: Tonight, an ominous new sign the president's escalating trade war is taking a real toll on the American economy. The Dow plunging more than 500 points. And for the first time in two years, the S&P 500 closing down 10% from its recent peak. Going into what's known as correction territory. An alarm bell for investors that the current roller coaster ride is far from over. Still, President Trump insisting he's not backing down from his sweeping tariffs.
REPORTER: You are not going to change your mind?
DONALD TRUMP: No, no, look, we've been ripped off for years and we're not going to be ripped off anymore. No, I’m not going to bend at all.
BRUCE: In fact, today Trump vowing to go even further, threatening a 200% tariff on all wine, champagne and alcohol coming out of France and the European union. Saying it's in response to the, quote, “nasty” 50% tariff on U.S. whiskey that the EU announced in retaliation to Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum. Economists warn American businesses will foot the bill for Trump's tariffs, and pass the costs along to consumers by raising prices. And Tyler Armstrong, who owns a wine shop in Greenport, New York, worries that's exactly what he'll have to do. 70% of the wine he sells comes from Europe.
TYLER ARMSTRONG: I hope that I wouldn't be paying $60 a bottle for a wine that I pay $20 a bottle for now, because then a $30 bottle of wine could cost $90 for the consumer.
BRUCE: Trump acknowledges Americans could take a hit, but argues it’s worth it. That our trading partners like Europe, Mexico, and Canada, need us more than we need them.
DONALD TRUMP: Now, there will be a little disruption. But it won't be very long. But they need us. We really don’t need them.
BRUCE: Canadian leaders say that's not true.
DOUG FORD (ON FOX NEWS): We’re your largest customer. There's no one that buys more products off the United States than we do. You're going to be paying a lot more for everything right across the board, because you can't get aluminum anywhere else. You only produce 16% of your aluminum. We ship in over 60%. So anything that has aluminum, you're going to pay more.
BRUCE: A new Quinnipiac poll shows most Americans are unhappy with Trump's trade war with America's neighbors. 58% disapprove of how he's handling trade with Canada, while only 36% approve. And 56% disapprove of how he's handling trade with Mexico, with 37% approving. Overall, 54% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling the economy. 41% approve. Today, I pressed the president.
Many American small business owners say they are concerned that these tariffs are going to hurt them. What’s your message to them?
TRUMP: They're going to be so much richer than they are right now, and we have many -- yesterday General Motors was in, they want to invest $60 billion. The people from Facebook were in yesterday, they're going to invest 60 billion by the end of the year.
BRUCE: But those are huge companies. Small business owners like Jeremy Peterson, who runs a pet food company in Windsor, Colorado, doesn't have the time, or the money, to wait out a trade war.
JEREMY PETERSON: We need to take these tariffs off the table so that we can get certainty and move forward, just trying to create a living for us and our family. And everyone involved with our business.
BRUCE: And again, David, those Wall Street jitters about this trade war are only getting worse. But the president has said he's not concerned. Meanwhile, tonight, news about the administration's efforts to carry out those mass firings. A federal judge ruling that thousands of employees recently fired must be rehired, calling the process a, quote, “scam”. Tonight, The White House is blasting the ruling and vowing to appeal it. David?
MUIR: Mary Bruce leading us off at The White House tonight. Mary, thank you.
