Paramount Pays $16 Million to End Trump Lawsuit Over Edited Kamala Harris Interview

Paramount is settling a lawsuit with Donald Trump for $16 million. The case started after Trump said an interview with Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes” was edited in a way that hurt him and made his business look bad.

Trump’s company, Truth Social, was part of his claim. He said the way CBS edited Harris’ answer made her look better, and it ended up distracting attention from him and his media work.

The company isn’t saying sorry. CBS, which is owned by Paramount, didn’t admit to any wrongdoing. Instead, Paramount said the settlement includes money for legal fees and a donation to a future presidential library. Trump isn’t getting any money himself.

From now on, “60 Minutes” plans to release full interview transcripts with presidential candidates after the interviews air. Paramount said there may be some redactions if legal or security issues come up. They also said this idea came from the mediator who helped settle the case.

Trump first asked for $20 billion, saying the interview gave Harris an unfair advantage and caused him stress. He later rejected a $15 million offer, according to The Wall Street Journal, and agreed to settle for $16 million with no apology.

CBS defended itself, saying they didn’t change Harris’ message in a bad way. They explained that the promo shown on “Face the Nation” just used a longer clip. They also gave the full footage and transcript to the FCC, which is still looking into it. CBS lawyers called the case “meritless” and said it was “an attempt to attack the First Amendment.”

The timing of the deal matters because Paramount is also trying to merge with Skydance Media. That deal still needs a green light from the FCC. Some people think settling this lawsuit clears the way for the merger to go through. But both Paramount and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr say the lawsuit and merger are separate issues. Still, Carr added that the FCC is “keeping all options on the table” in its review of the Harris interview, which might include penalties for CBS if they broke any rules.

The lawsuit also created some tension inside CBS. Two major execs, Bill Owens and Wendy McMahon, left partly because they didn’t agree with settling. Owens was said to be frustrated with how much corporate leadership was stepping into the newsroom’s decisions.

Lawmakers didn’t like the idea of a settlement either. U.S. Senators like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, along with lawmakers in California, warned Shari Redstone, who controls Paramount, that settling with Trump might seem like a way to sway regulators. Legal experts who spoke with TheWrap didn’t think bribery charges would stick, but state lawmakers are still digging into it.

Redstone hasn’t said much publicly. At a recent event, she told TheWrap, “There is nothing controversial about telling the truth.” She also said, “I think companies have not only an opportunity, but a tremendous responsibility, to use the resources that they have to tell these stories and to get them to as many audiences… but give them the facts.”

She was also asked how she handles business pressure while protecting press freedom. Her answer was, “I don’t think there’s ever a time you have to compromise what it is that you say and do, but freedom of the press involves telling both sides of the story, giving the facts, not giving opinions.”

Trump has sued other media companies before. Disney paid him $15 million after he sued over a defamation issue with ABC News and George Stephanopoulos. Meta also gave him $25 million after a lawsuit about banning him from Facebook and Instagram after January 6.

Now that this case is done, Paramount can focus more on its merger and the growing questions about how it balances business with journalism.