# Paramount pays $16 million to settle Trump's 60 Minutes lawsuit

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 1 source.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: Whether or to what extent the pending Paramount-Skydance merger review influenced the decision to settle rather than litigate has not been established with sourcing meeting this site's standard.

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]

- Country: [United States](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/us)
- Where: United States
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Lawsuits against the press
- Outcome: Unknown
- Era: The 2020s

## 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.[2][1][3][4]

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

- 2025-07-01: Paramount pays $16 million to settle Trump's 60 Minutes lawsuit

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Donald Trump](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/donald-trump) | other | President of the United States |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [CBS News](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/cbs-news) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramount-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement/ (CBS News, 2025-07-01).

## Claims cited

[1] Paramount announced the $16 million settlement. Quote: "Paramount will settle President Trump's lawsuit over a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris for $16 million, the company announced late Tuesday." Source: CBS News, 2025-07-01. Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramount-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/99, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] Paramount maintained the underlying lawsuit was without merit rather than conceding to a stated justification. Quote: "has maintained that the lawsuit was completely without merit" Source: CBS News, 2025-07-01. Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramount-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/9, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] The settlement obligates 60 Minutes to publish transcripts of future presidential-candidate interviews, subject to redactions. Quote: "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." Source: CBS News, 2025-07-01. Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramount-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/100, checked 2026-09-22.

[4] The lawsuit concluded with the $16 million settlement. Quote: "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." Source: CBS News, 2025-07-01. Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over '60 Minutes' lawsuit. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/paramount-trump-60-minutes-lawsuit-settlement/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/101, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2025-paramount-cbs-settle-60-minutes-suit. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.