Paramount Global has agreed to pay $16 million to resolve President Trump’s lawsuit over CBS’s editing of a “60 Minutes” interview. The funds will go toward Trump’s future presidential library and will cover his legal fees. Paramount did not offer an apology for the CBS News reporting or edits in question.
Trump’s lawsuit had accused CBS of voter interference and described the editing as politically motivated and damaging. The network has acknowledged that the interview was edited.
The two sides reached the agreement following two months of mediation, with Paramount saying the terms were recommended by the mediator. Going forward, the company agreed that “60 Minutes” will publish transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after they air, subject to legal or national security redactions.
Trump’s legal team framed the outcome as a victory for accountability in the media. “President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable,” a spokesman said, calling the original edits “malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to mislead the public.”
The settlement comes as Paramount awaits regulatory approval for its proposed $8 billion dollar merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media. The FCC, led by Trump-appointed Chairman Brendan Carr, launched an inquiry into whether CBS’s editing of the October interview with then–Vice President Kamala Harris amounted to news distortion. Paramount said the lawsuit settlement was unrelated to the Skydance deal or the ongoing FCC review.
If approved, the merger would bring Skydance’s operations under Paramount, giving Ellison control over the studio’s film, streaming, and television assets, including CBS and cable channels like BET and Nickelodeon.
