Paramount Pays $16M to Settle Trump Lawsuit Over CBS Interview with Kamala Harris

Paramount Global has agreed to a $16 million settlement with U.S. President Donald Trump over a controversial CBS 60 Minutes interview featuring then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The money will be donated to Trump’s future presidential library, not to him personally.

The lawsuit stems from a broadcast aired last October, which Trump claimed was deceptively edited to benefit Harris and the Democratic Party during the 2024 U.S. election campaign.

Trump’s Lawsuit and Key Allegations

Trump initially filed the case in Texas federal court, accusing CBS of violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act. He argued that the editing of Harris’s answers misled voters and amounted to unfair media manipulation.

In the 60 Minutes segment, Harris appeared to give two different answers about the Israel-Hamas war. CBS explained that both clips came from the same extended response, but were shortened for separate airings on 60 Minutes and Face the Nation.

Though Trump did not participate in any interview with CBS during the campaign, his legal team argued that the presentation of Harris’s edited remarks was misleading to viewers and influenced the public perception of the race.

What the Settlement Includes — and Doesn’t

Paramount’s $16 million payment will support the creation of Trump’s presidential library. Importantly, the settlement does not include an apology or statement of regret from the company.

The agreement also includes a new editorial policy: 60 Minutes will release full transcripts of interviews with U.S. presidential candidates moving forward, unless redactions are required for legal or national security reasons.

Leadership Shakeups at CBS

The legal battle triggered notable resignations within CBS News:

• Bill Owens, longtime executive producer of 60 Minutes, resigned in April, citing loss of editorial independence.
  
• Wendy McMahon, CBS News CEO, stepped down in May after voicing opposition to settling with Trump.

These exits reflect broader tension within the network as Paramount pursues an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media—a deal still awaiting federal regulatory approval.

Part of a Broader Pattern

This isn’t the first major media settlement involving Trump:

• In December, ABC News (owned by Disney) paid $15 million to Trump’s presidential library and issued a public apology for anchor George Stephanopoulos’s inaccurate statements.
  
• In January, Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram’s parent company) paid $25 million to settle over Trump’s post-Jan. 6 account suspensions.

Trump has promised to pursue more lawsuits, and in December, he sued the Des Moines Register over a pre-election poll showing Harris ahead by three points in Iowa. That case is still pending.

Legal Experts Warn of Media Precedents

Advocacy groups express concern over the implications of Trump’s approach. Legal protections for the press, especially regarding public figures, traditionally require proof of actual malice for defamation claims. However, Trump’s legal strategy appears to focus on state-level deceptive trade laws to bypass federal First Amendment standards.

So far, settlements from ABC, Meta, and now Paramount suggest some media corporations may prefer paying out over long and costly legal fights—even without admitting wrongdoing.

Do you believe media companies should settle these lawsuits, or fight them in court to protect press freedom? 

More…

• https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/paramount-cbs-trump-lawsuit-1.7575039
• https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/2/paramount-agrees-to-pay-16m-to-settle-trump-lawsuit-over-cbs-interview
• https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w4n8778q2o