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Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump regarding the editing of a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris, ending the legal dispute.
The settlement does not include an apology from CBS or Paramount. Instead, the money will be directed toward Trump’s future presidential library, not to him personally, according to statements from the company.
A Trump spokesperson said the president delivered “another win for the American people” in the settlement “as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit.”
Trump’s lawsuit alleged that CBS News manipulated the interview to portray Harris in a more favorable light by selectively editing her answers. He did not participate in a “60 Minutes” interview himself during the campaign but objected to what he called a misleading presentation of Harris’ responses in segments aired by both “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation.”
In the interview, Harris gave two slightly different answers to a question from correspondent Bill Whitaker. CBS maintained that both clips were part of a longer, nuanced answer and that the edits were made for clarity and time constraints.
Trump’s attorney, Edward Andrew Paltzik, also argued the edits misled voters by undermining Trump’s media presence and the reach of his Truth Social platform.
As part of the settlement, CBS agreed to release transcripts of future interviews with presidential candidates. However, the network reserved the right to redact content for legal or national security reasons.
The agreement comes as Paramount and its controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, seek regulatory approval from the Trump administration for a proposed merger with Skydance Media. In April, Bill Owens, the producer of the CBS news program “60 Minutes,” stepped down following backlash after the lawsuit over the controversial editing of the Harris interview.
“My 60 Minutes priorities have always been clear. Maybe not smart, but clear,” Owens wrote to staff in a note obtained by The Hill.
“Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” he continued. “To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience.”
