Paramount pays $16 million to settle Trump's 60 Minutes lawsuit
Paramount, parent of CBS News, paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit by Trump over how 60 Minutes edited a Kamala Harris interview; CBS made no admission of wrongdoing, and future presidential-candidate interviews will be released as transcripts.1
What happened
Trump sued CBS News' parent company Paramount over 60 Minutes' editing of a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, alleging the network aired two differently edited excerpts of the same answer across Face the Nation and the full 60 Minutes broadcast in a way that was deceptively edited. On July 1, 2025, Paramount announced a $16 million settlement, with funds going toward Trump's future presidential library and legal costs rather than a personal payment to him or co-plaintiff Ronny Jackson. Paramount maintained the lawsuit was without merit and that the editing followed standard practice. Going forward, 60 Minutes agreed to release transcripts of interviews with presidential candidates, subject to redactions for legal or national-security reasons.2134
Settled; no further litigation on this claim.4
What reason was given
Not applicable in the same sense as a government access restriction: the underlying claim was a private civil lawsuit alleging deceptive editing, not a stated government policy justification.2
What changed for reporting
CBS News agreed to release future presidential-candidate interview transcripts, a new editorial constraint accepted as part of the settlement; the settlement occurred while Paramount's merger with Skydance Media was pending regulatory approval, which press-freedom groups said created settlement pressure independent of the case's legal merits.3
Timeline
2025
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump | other | President of the United States |
Outlets and journalists
| Name | Kind | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| CBS News | outlet | affected |
Sources
Claims cited
- Paramount announced the $16 million settlement.
Paramount will settle President Trump's lawsuit over a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris for $16 million, the company announced late Tuesday.
Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit, CBS News, 2025-07-01. live Claim 99, checked 2026-09-22. - Paramount maintained the underlying lawsuit was without merit rather than conceding to a stated justification.
has maintained that the lawsuit was completely without merit
Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit, CBS News, 2025-07-01. live Claim 9, checked 2026-09-22. - The settlement obligates 60 Minutes to publish transcripts of future presidential-candidate interviews, subject to redactions.
Paramount also agreed that "60 Minutes" will release transcripts of interviews with presidential candidates in the future, "subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns," the statement said.
Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit, CBS News, 2025-07-01. live Claim 100, checked 2026-09-22. - The lawsuit concluded with the $16 million settlement.
CBS News' parent company worked with a mediator to resolve the lawsuit. Under the agreement, $16 million will be allocated to Mr. Trump's future presidential library and the plaintiffs' fees and costs.
Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit, CBS News, 2025-07-01. live Claim 101, checked 2026-09-22.