President Donald Trump just scored a massive win against media giant CBS. The network and its parent, Paramount Global, settled his election interference lawsuit, coughing up a fortune and rewriting their editorial playbook, as Fox News reports. This isn’t just a payout -- it’s a reckoning for biased reporting.
Trump’s lawsuit, targeting CBS over a 2024 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, ended with a settlement exceeding $30 million, including $16 million upfront for legal fees and charitable causes. An additional mid-eight-figure sum is earmarked for future CBS ads or public service announcements backing conservative causes, though Paramount’s current brass disputes this allocation. The deal dwarfs the $15 million ABC paid Trump last year to settle a defamation suit.
Trump’s legal team alleged CBS deceitfully edited Harris’ 60 Minutes interview to protect her image before a critical election period. The suit claimed correspondent Bill Whitaker’s question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exposed Harris’ incoherent “word salad” response, which CBS partially aired on Face the Nation but swapped for a polished version in a primetime special. Critics slammed CBS for shielding Harris from voter backlash.
FCC-released raw transcripts and footage later confirmed that both Harris’ responses came from the same answer, with CBS splitting the messy first half and concise second half across broadcasts. CBS denied any journalistic misstep, standing by its reporting. Yet, the settlement forces CBS to adopt a “Trump Rule,” mandating unedited transcripts of future presidential candidate interviews be released promptly.
Trump’s attorneys, armed with the unedited transcript, amended their $20 billion lawsuit to bolster their case. “They cheated and defrauded the American people at levels never seen before,” Trump declared on Truth Social, blasting CBS for Harris’ edited response. His team’s spokesperson hailed the settlement as a victory for holding “Fake News media accountable.”
“The unanimous view at ‘60 Minutes’ is that there should be no settlement,” a veteran producer fumed, calling the lawsuit baseless. Sorry, but the evidence suggests otherwise -- CBS’s footage showed selective editing that flattered a struggling candidate. The producer’s defiance reeks of media arrogance, not principle.
Paramount’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, pushed for mediation to settle before a multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance Media, fearing FCC retaliation could derail the deal. The lawsuit, unrelated to the merger, still posed a regulatory threat. Paramount’s statement clarified that the settlement releases all claims against CBS reporting up to the agreement.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and eight Democratic Party allies urged Redstone not to settle, labeling the lawsuit an “attack on the First Amendment.” “Presidents do not get to punish or censor the media,” they wrote. Nice try, but protecting free speech doesn’t mean excusing manipulated broadcasts that mislead voters.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr had already ordered CBS to release the unedited transcript, probing potential “news distortion” violations. The raw footage exposed CBS’s editorial sleight-of-hand, vindicating Trump’s claims. Carr’s intervention proves regulators aren’t sleeping on media bias.
CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon resigned in May, citing disagreements with Paramount’s direction. “It’s time for me to move on,” she told staffers, abandoning ship as the settlement loomed. Her exit signals deeper turmoil within CBS over accountability.
60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens also stepped down in April, frustrated by his lack of independent decision-making power. Owens opposed apologizing to Trump, but the settlement sidestepped any formal regret. Tough luck—CBS’s actions spoke louder than any non-apology.
Paramount’s stockholders meeting, set for Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET, was likely to involve questions about the settlement’s cost. The deal, which avoids direct payments to Trump personally, still stings for a company navigating a high-stakes merger. Shareholders deserve answers on why CBS’s editorial missteps led to this mess.
Trump called the case a “winner” in April, and the settlement proves him right. The $16 million upfront will fund legal fees, case costs, and contributions to his future presidential library or charities, at his discretion. The additional allocation for conservative ads ensures his message will echo on CBS’s airwaves.
“A settlement would be very damaging to CBS,” 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley warned. Damaging? Try liberating—CBS’s forced transparency and hefty payout signal the media can’t hide behind “journalistic integrity” while pushing narratives.
This settlement isn’t just about money -- it’s a warning to networks that voters demand unfiltered truth. The “Trump Rule” and millions in conservative ads will reshape how CBS covers candidates. For once, the media faces real consequences for playing favorites.
