Paramount agrees to give Trump $16 million in settlement to avoid discovery

Another victory for the president was viewed as a route for corporate media to avoid a “more damaging” outcome after a settlement was announced over the “60 Minutes” lawsuit.

Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the CBS News program “60 Minutes” infamously came under fire for the editing of an interview with Democratic Party presidential nominee, then-Vice President Kamala Harris. While President Donald Trump sought $20 billion alleging election interference, parent company Paramount Global agreed to settle for no less than $16 million in what was seen by many as a means to avoid the discovery process.

CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter posted to X late Tuesday that, “Paramount says ‘under the terms of the settlement, which were proposed by the mediator, Paramount will pay $16M in total, which includes plaintiffs’ fees and costs, and except for fees and costs, will be allocated to the future presidential library.’ Just like the ABC deal.”

He went on to quote the media company that said, “The settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret,” as commentator Stephen L. Miller opined, “The reason they keep settling is not because of capitulation. It’s because these media companies know what comes out in discovery (emails. Texts like with Tapper and CNN) is more damaging.”

The reason they keep settling is not because of capitulation. It’s because these media companies know what comes out in discovery (emails. Texts like with Tapper and CNN) is more damaging. pic.twitter.com/gNaBMVWiqD

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 2, 2025

Stelter himself argued similarly during an interview with Jim Acosta in December after ABC News’ settlement over the defamation lawsuit that Trump had filed regarding repeated claims from George Stephanopoulos that the president was “liable for rape.”

“It’s possible that ABC decided to settle this, Jim, because there might have been embarrassing emails or text messages on ABC’s servers that were going to become public. Everybody remembers that’s what happened to Fox News when Dominion sued Fox,” said Stelter. “So this might have been a case where ABC is avoiding public embarrassment by paying $15 million.”

Paramount’s $16 million payout may only be part of the settlement, as Fox News reported that another allocation could bring the final total upwards of $30 million through future transmissions in support of conservative causes like public service announcements and advertisements.

While Paramount management was said to dispute the additional allocation, the company did state, “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.”

CBS News was also said to have implemented a “Trump Rule” by updating editorial standards to mandate the release of full, unedited transcripts specifically regarding interviews with future presidential candidates.

While some suggested the settlement was purely an effort to preserve a merger between Paramount and Skydance that requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission, and others agreed with Miller’s assessment, still more simply enjoyed the reality that Trump’s presidential library would by paid for in part “by the fake news propaganda media.”

The chef’s kiss is all of this money is going to his presidential library. Paid for by the fake news propaganda media.

— DocSon (@MrDocSon) July 2, 2025

At a certain point, I don’t even care about the specific case or Trump. They have hid behind Times vs. Sullivan to smear and slander for power for so long, I’m just glad someone has deep enough pockets to make them pay a price.

— Nadnerbus (@nadnerbus) July 2, 2025

haha. no discovery is worth 10’s of millions

— Tipping Odds Podcast. Mitch (@TippingOddsLV) July 2, 2025

The media couldn’t afford the discovery process.

— Milo Stone (@GeniusMilo) July 2, 2025

That Trump library is going to be magnificent

— Angela W (@angela_awz) July 2, 2025

What there avoiding is discovery because it would bury them.

— Fred Ziffel (@FredZiffel8) July 2, 2025

CBS is only paying this kind of money if there something really bad that they don’t ever want to see the light of day.

The Left will scream “Dictator Trump!”, but if CBS did nothing wrong then a public trial would be a PR bonanza for them. https://t.co/cNjtd9faOe

— IT Guy (@ITGuy1959) July 2, 2025

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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