Paramount International opted to write down a giant test to President Donald Trump relatively than combat what it had known as a “meritless” lawsuit.

Paramount pays $16 million to President Trump to settle his lawsuit accusing CBS‘s “60 Minutes” of deceptively modifying an interview with Kamala Harris and deceptive U.S. voters, based on courtroom paperwork. As well as, Paramount agreed to “launch of all claims concerning any CBS reporting by means of the date of the settlement, together with the Texas motion and the threatened defamation motion” below the settlement. The settlement comes as Paramount is in search of remaining U.S. regulatory approval for its merger with Skydance Media.

Paramount mentioned in a press release that not one of the cash will likely be “paid immediately or not directly to President Trump or Rep. Jackson personally” and as an alternative will go towards his presidential library. The corporate additionally agreed “that sooner or later, ’60 Minutes’ will launch transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after such interviews have aired, topic to redactions as required for authorized or nationwide safety considerations.”

In response to Paramount, the settlement “doesn’t embrace a press release of apology or remorse.”

Paramount reached the settlement after the corporate had beforehand mentioned in filings that Trump’s swimsuit — which sought a far-fetched $20 billion in financial damages — was baseless. The will to resolve the matter as rapidly as attainable was seen as being pushed by Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, forward of Paramount’s July 2 annual shareholder assembly the place three new administrators are set to be put in.

Paramount follows in Disney’s footsteps with the second main settlement between Trump and a information group. In December 2024, Disney and ABC Information agreed to pay $15 million to settle Trump’s defamation lawsuit in opposition to the community plus $1 million in authorized charges. In that case, Trump had sued ABC Information and George Stephanopoulos after the anchor inaccurately said on-air that Trump had been discovered answerable for “rape.” (A New York jury discovered Trump answerable for sexually abusing and defaming author E. Jean Carroll.)

The Paramount settlement is predicted to ship a blow to morale among the many ranks at CBS Information and “60 Minutes.” It additionally might embolden Trump to interact in additional litigation in opposition to media firms whose protection he dislikes. Final week, a Trump lawyer threatened to sue the New York Occasions and CNN over their reviews in regards to the Pentagon’s early evaluation that the U.S. bombings of Iranian nuclear websites set again the nation’s nuclear weapons program by “a number of months” whereas Trump has claimed Iran’s amenities have been “completely obliterated.”

In a 3rd case through which Trump is focusing on a information outlet, the president on Monday (June 30) refiled a lawsuit in opposition to the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer in Iowa state courtroom and concurrently dropped his federal swimsuit. Trump alleges that the newspaper’s ballot displaying him trailing Harris by three factors in Iowa (a state he received by 13 factors) represents client fraud. A rep for the Des Moines Register mentioned the paper “will proceed to withstand President Trump’s litigation gamesmanship and believes that whatever the discussion board it will likely be profitable in defending its rights below the First Modification.”

In Could, three left-wing U.S. senators — Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden — had warned {that a} settlement cost by Paramount to the president can be tantamount to an unlawful bribe. However it’s inconceivable that the Trump administration’s Justice Division would pursue such a bribery cost.

Trump filed the lawsuit simply days earlier than the 2024 presidential election, alleging CBS’s “60 Minutes” interview with Harris had violated a Texas client safety legislation by deceptive voters. His swimsuit initially requested for $10 billion in damages. In February, the president amended the grievance to hunt not less than $20 billion. Trump has claimed the edit made Harris seem “extra presidential” and asserted that it’s “the most important Broadcasting SCANDAL in Historical past!!!”

Previous to the settlement, Paramount and CBS argued that they did nothing incorrect. In a March 2025 movement to dismiss Trump’s swimsuit, Paramount known as the authorized motion “an affront to the First Modification” that’s “with out foundation in legislation or truth.” The corporate reiterated that place in a June 23 reply to Trump’s movement to disclaim Paramount’s transfer to dismiss the grievance. CBS Information has maintained that the “60 Minutes” broadcast and promotion of the Harris interview was “not doctored or deceitful.”

In a Could 28 submitting opposing Paramount’s movement to dismiss the lawsuit, Trump’s legal professionals claimed that the “60 Minutes” modifying of the Harris interview “led to widespread confusion and psychological anguish of shoppers,” together with Trump and his co-plaintiff, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas). CBS’s “conduct, together with information distortion, constituted industrial speech which can’t by any affordable interpretation be discovered to have constituted editorial judgment, and that speech broken Plaintiffs,” the submitting mentioned. “The truth that such industrial speech was issued by a information group doesn’t insulate Defendants from legal responsibility below the First Modification.” Paramount and CBS mentioned Trump had supplied no proof the “60 Minutes” content material represented “industrial speech.”

The $8 billion Paramount-Skydance deal is presently pending FCC approval. Below the deal, introduced in July 2024 after months of on-again-off-again talks, Skydance, Larry Ellison (father of Skydance CEO David Ellison) and RedBird Capital will purchase the shares of Redstone’s NAI (which owns 77% of the voting energy in Paramount International) upon which Skydance will merge with Paramount to turn into “Paramount Skydance Corp.” Redstone is ready to obtain $1.75 billion in money upon closing of the Skydance deal.

Trump-appointed FCC chairman Brendan Carr has maintained the company’s approval of Paramount-Skydance shouldn’t be linked to the president’s “60 Minutes” lawsuit. Final November, he mentioned in a Fox Information interview {that a} conservative group’s “information distortion” grievance in opposition to CBS over the “60 Minutes” Harris interview was “prone to come up within the context of the FCC overview of [the Paramount-Skydance] transaction.” Paramount International had beforehand mentioned Trump’s lawsuit “is totally separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval course of.”

On June 18 on the White Home, Trump didn’t immediately reply a reporter’s query about what’s holding up approval of the Skydance-Paramount deal. However the president instantly started discussing his “60 Minutes” lawsuit, after saying that Skydance CEO David Ellison will “do an awesome job” as head of the merged Skydance-Paramount International.

Trump’s lawsuit induced vital turmoil inside CBS Information and mother or father firm Paramount. On Could 19, CBS Information president Wendy McMahon introduced her resignation, writing in a memo to employees “It’s turn into clear that the corporate and I don’t agree on the trail ahead.” That got here lower than a month after “60 Minutes” government producer Invoice Owens give up, additionally citing conflicts with Paramount execs. The departures of McMahon and Owens have been extensively considered as stemming from Paramount executives — on the course of Redstone — extra carefully monitoring CBS Information operations amid the authorized battle with Trump.

In February, Redstone had requested Paramount’s board to resolve the Trump lawsuit, together with by exploring the opportunity of mediation, Selection has reported. Redstone recused herself from the board’s discussions a couple of settlement with Trump. 

Trump, on his Fact Social social media account in April, mentioned his lawsuit in opposition to CBS was “a real WINNER” and falsely claimed that Paramount, CBS and “60 Minutes” admitted to committing “this crime” of deceptively modifying Harris’ reply. Trump alleged “60 Minutes” edited the interview to remove her “dangerous and incompetent” response to a query about whether or not Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “listening to the Biden-Harris administration.” Trump asserted the model of the “60 Minutes” interview that aired “cheated and defrauded the American Individuals at ranges by no means seen earlier than within the Political Enviornment.”

In response to an FCC request, CBS Information made public an unedited transcript of the “60 Minutes” interview with Harris that aired Oct. 6, 2024 (obtainable at this hyperlink) and mentioned the supplies confirmed that “in keeping with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the general public,” the published “was not doctored or deceitful.”

The Trump lawsuit’s claims centered on an change through which “60 Minutes” correspondent Invoice Whitaker requested Harris in regards to the Biden administration’s relations with Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu. CBS Information broadcast an extended portion of Harris’s response on Oct. 6 on “Face the Nation,” whereas the edited “60 Minutes” section broadcast the subsequent day included a shorter excerpt from the identical reply. “Every excerpt displays the substance of the vp’s reply,” CBS Information had mentioned in a press release.

Beneath is the unedited portion of the “60 Minutes” change, as launched by CBS, that Trump’s lawsuit takes problem with. Through the interview, Whitaker requested Harris, “Does the U.S. don’t have any sway over [Israeli] Prime Minister Netanyahu?” after which requested this follow-up query:

WHITAKER: However it appears that evidently Prime Minister Netanyahu shouldn’t be listening. “The Wall Avenue Journal” mentioned that he — that your administration has repeatedly been blindsided by Netanyahu, and in reality, he has rebuffed nearly all your administration’s entreaties.
HARRIS: Nicely, Invoice, the work that now we have performed has resulted in a variety of actions in that area by Israel that have been very a lot prompted by, or a results of many issues, together with our advocacy for what must occur within the area. And we’re not going to cease doing that. We’re not going to cease pursuing what is critical for america to be clear about the place we stand on the necessity for this struggle to finish.

On the Oct. 6 version of “Face the Nation,” that change was edited to this:

WHITAKER: However it appears that evidently Prime Minister Netanyahu shouldn’t be listening.
HARRIS: Nicely, Invoice, the work that now we have performed has resulted in a variety of actions in that area by Israel that have been very a lot prompted by, or a results of, many issues, together with our advocacy for what must occur within the area.

On the “60 Minutes” section that aired Oct. 7, the interplay was edited to this:

Whitaker: However it appears that evidently Prime Minister Netanyahu shouldn’t be listening.
Harris: We’re not going to cease pursuing what is critical for america to be clear about the place we stand on the necessity for this struggle to finish.