Trump wins $16 million settlement over edited Kamala Harris interview on CBS

UPDATED: Jul 3, 2025 02:39 IST

Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to President Donald Trump to settle a lawsuit regarding a CBS News 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that aired last year.

Trump alleged the segment was deceptively edited to make Harris appear more competent ahead of the presidential election.

The media giant announced on Tuesday that the settlement figure will go toward Trump's future presidential library. The pact does not involve any official apology or concession of wrongdoing on the part of Paramount or CBS.

As part of the settlement terms, CBS’s 60 Minutes will release full transcripts of all interviews conducted with presidential candidates moving forward.

While CBS initially described the lawsuit which sought up to $20 billion in damages as baseless, Paramount chair Shari Redstone reportedly pushed for a resolution as the company seeks federal clearance for its multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media.

Trump has not publicly commented on the settlement. However, his legal team called it a victory for holding the “fake news media” accountable.

As reported by Forbes, Trump first filed the complaint in October 2024, claiming CBS had edited Harris's response to the Israel-Hamas conflict to unfairly benefit the Democratic Party.

Trump said this constituted election interference by the media. Lawyers for CBS claimed the network's editorial decisions were covered under the First Amendment.

Throughout the court proceedings, Trump repeatedly attacked CBS on Truth Social, demanding that the network lose its broadcast license and calling on the FCC to extract maximum fines.

The lawsuit created internal conflict at CBS. In April, 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens quit, stating there was editorial interference. Shortly thereafter, CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon resigned, stating that the company and she had different visions for the future.

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