Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS News, has reached a $16 million settlement with President Donald J. Trump over alleged deceptive editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris.
The agreement resolves a lawsuit filed by Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign, in which he claimed the network manipulated Harris’s remarks to favor her candidacy and damage his electoral standing. The settlement explicitly allocates funds to Trump’s presidential library and includes no public apology from Paramount.
Trump’s lawsuit centered on an October 2024 segment in which Harris’s answer about Israel was split into two different versions—one aired on “Face the Nation” and the other on “60 Minutes.” Trump alleged the edits misleadingly portrayed Harris as more coherent and polished.
Paramount disputed the claim, stating the edits were made for time constraints, not to mislead, and released internal footage and transcripts to support their editorial decisions.
This settlement follows similar cases in which major media companies settled with Trump. In December, ABC News paid $16 million over a defamatory statement regarding his legal history, and Meta agreed to pay $25 million earlier this year in a separate dispute . Collectively, these agreements have contributed substantial funds to Trump’s presidential library.
As part of the deal, Paramount also committed to releasing transcripts of future “60 Minutes” interviews with presidential candidates—subject to necessary redactions—an initiative aimed at increasing transparency.
The settlement comes at a critical time, coinciding with Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance Media, and may influence regulatory review.
Critics, including journalism advocates and free-speech organizations, have condemned the settlement, warning it sets a dangerous precedent for editorial independence and encourages politically motivated litigation. U.S. senators have echoed these concerns, cautioning that such cases threaten First Amendment protections and could force news outlets into self-cen
