A Stalled Settlement in a High-Stakes Lawsuit
President Donald Trump’s legal dispute with Paramount Global and CBS News continues to unfold, with mediation failing to bridge the gap between the parties. Fox News Digital confirmed that Trump rejected a $15 million settlement offer, according to a source familiar with the matter, with his legal team demanding at least $25 million and an apology from CBS News, while also considering a second lawsuit against the company. Initially reported by The Wall Street Journal, the rejection points to the deep divide in negotiations.
Trump’s attorney did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, and Paramount declined to comment. The lawsuit, filed last October and now escalated from $10 billion to $20 billion, alleges that CBS News manipulated a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris to influence the presidential election.
Both sides remain firm, with CBS News denying any wrongdoing and standing by its broadcast, while Trump’s team insists on accountability for what they claim was deceptive editing.
Allegations of Media Manipulation
The core of Trump’s lawsuit centers on a 60 Minutes interview aired weeks before the election, where correspondent Bill Whitaker asked Harris why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn’t “listening” to the Biden administration. A preview clip on Face the Nation featured Harris’ response, widely criticized as a “word salad,” but the primetime special aired a different, more concise answer to the same question.
Critics accused CBS News of editing the interview to protect Harris from backlash, alleging election interference.
The FCC-released raw transcript and footage later revealed that both aired responses came from the same answer, with Face the Nation showing the first half and the primetime special airing the second.
CBS News maintains that its editing was standard practice and denies any intent to mislead.
The controversy has fueled Trump’s claims that the network deliberately shaped the narrative to favor the Democratic nominee, raising questions about media transparency and editorial decisions in politically charged contexts.
Corporate and Newsroom Tensions
The lawsuit’s ripple effects extend beyond the courtroom, influencing Paramount’s corporate strategy and CBS News’ internal dynamics.
Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, recused herself from settlement talks in February, aiming to settle the lawsuit to facilitate Paramount’s proposed multibillion-dollar merger with Skydance Media, which requires approval from the Trump administration’s FCC.
However, reports of Redstone’s efforts to “keep tabs” on CBS News’ reporting of Trump have stirred controversy, contributing to the resignation of 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens, who cited a loss of editorial independence.
Last week’s departure of CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon, who attributed her exit to disagreements with the company, further fueled speculation about internal pressures. Meanwhile, 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley publicly criticized Trump and the lawsuit in a viral Wake Forest University commencement address, stating, “Why attack universities? Why attack journalism? Because ignorance works for power. First, make the truth seekers live in fear, sue the journalists and their companies for nothing. Then, send masked agents to abduct a college student who wrote an editorial in her college paper defending Palestinian rights and send her to a prison in Louisiana charged with nothing. Then move to destroy the law firms that stand up for the rights of others.”
He added, “With that done, power can rewrite history with grotesque false narratives. They can make criminals heroes and heroes criminals. Power can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality. Diversity is now described as illegal. Equity is to be shunned. Inclusion is a dirty word. This is an old playbook, my friends. There’s nothing new in this.”
These remarks highlight the clash between media freedom and political pressure, with both sides entrenched as the legal battle continues.
