CBS Forced to Pay Up, Trump Lawsuit Ends in Massive Settlement [WATCH]

Paramount Global and CBS have agreed to settle a high-profile lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump over alleged election interference by paying a sum that could exceed $30 million.

The agreement follows months of legal wrangling related to CBS News’ handling of a 2024 interview involving then-Vice President Kamala Harris on the program “60 Minutes.”

🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨

Paramount Global and CBS will pay President Donald Trump over $30 million to settle his election interference lawsuit.

Trump gets $16 million upfront for legal fees, case costs, and his choice of a presidential library or charity.

Another mid-eight-figure… pic.twitter.com/X1zN8i6lPD

— Breanna Morello (@BreannaMorello) July 2, 2025

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According to terms disclosed Tuesday, President Trump will receive $16 million up front.

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The settlement will cover legal fees and other case-related costs, with the remainder earmarked for charitable causes or a future presidential library at Trump’s discretion.

Fox News Digital reported that an additional mid-eight-figure allocation is anticipated for CBS to air advertisements, public service announcements, or similar content supportive of conservative causes.

However, Paramount’s current management disputes that an additional payout of that nature has been finalized.

CBS has also agreed to implement a new editorial policy, referred to internally as the “Trump Rule.”

This rule mandates the prompt release of full, unedited transcripts of all interviews with future presidential candidates.

The policy update comes in direct response to the allegations central to Trump’s lawsuit.

“With this record settlement, President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit,” Trump’s legal team said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle. President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American People as he continues on his singular mission to Make America Great Again.”

The lawsuit stemmed from CBS’s editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with Harris, which aired in multiple formats in the days leading up to the 2024 presidential election.

In a preview segment on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Harris’s response to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was criticized as incoherent.

However, during a primetime broadcast, a more concise version of her answer was aired.

Critics alleged CBS deceptively edited Harris’s remarks to shield her from further scrutiny during the final days of the campaign.

Remember Kamala’s word salad answer about Israel on 60 Minutes? It’s gone.

This is what many Americans will now see. pic.twitter.com/H4w7btDv6x

— MAZE (@mazemoore) October 8, 2024

Raw footage and transcripts released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) earlier this year confirmed that CBS had aired only different portions of the same response at different times.

CBS News denied any wrongdoing and stood by its reporting. However, the lawsuit moved forward, and mediation was eventually agreed upon by both sides.

The settlement includes a release of all claims related to CBS reporting through the date of the agreement, according to Paramount.

Paramount’s motivation to settle reportedly included concerns that the ongoing lawsuit could interfere with a planned multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance Media.

As the FCC holds regulatory authority over such deals, some close to the situation believed avoiding further friction with the agency was in the company’s best interest.

Paramount, however, denied any connection between the lawsuit and the merger.

“The settlement will include a release of all claims regarding any CBS reporting through the date of the settlement, including the Texas action and the threatened defamation action,” Paramount said in a statement.

CBS News faced internal divisions over the lawsuit.

“60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens departed in April, citing a lack of editorial independence.

Owens had publicly defended the editing of the Harris interview and opposed any settlement.

CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon, who was also reportedly against settling, announced her resignation on May 19.

“It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward,” McMahon said in a staff memo.

The case drew political backlash. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and eight Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone in May, urging her not to settle.

They called the lawsuit an “attack on the First Amendment” and warned that settling would be “a grave mistake.”

FCC Chair Brendan Carr ordered CBS News to turn over the unedited transcript as part of an investigation into whether the network violated the FCC’s news distortion policy. CBS had previously declined to release the full interview until compelled by the FCC.

Trump declared the case a victory in April on Truth Social, writing, “They cheated and defrauded the American People at levels never seen before in the Political Arena.”

The settlement does not include an apology or admission of wrongdoing by CBS, nor does it involve a personal payment directly to Trump.

Paramount’s annual stockholders meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 2 at 9 a.m. ET.

The agreement follows another defamation settlement in December, when ABC agreed to pay Trump $15 million after anchor George Stephanopoulos repeatedly claimed Trump had been found “liable for rape,” a claim not supported by the civil trial’s verdict.