CBS to Pay $30 Million Settlement to President Trump in Kamala 60 Minute Interview Lawsuit
By The Blog Source
Fox News Digital said Tuesday that CBS and Paramount Global have reached a settlement to pay President Donald Trump over $30 million to resolve a lawsuit for a 2024 60-minute interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump said that CBS intentionally edited Harris to protect her from criticism in the closing days of the campaign, and he accused the network of meddling in the election.
$16 million will be given to Trump right away to pay for his legal fees; the remaining sum would be used for pro-conservative advertising and other projects, such as his presidential library. Insiders are referring to this policy as the "Trump Rule" because CBS committed to making all future presidential candidate interviews available in full, unedited transcripts.
According to Trump's lawsuit, CBS allegedly manipulated a 2024 60 Minutes interview with Harris to shield her from the election; the FCC subsequently acquired the complete transcript following the filing of the complaint.
A $16 million upfront payment is part of the deal to pay for legal fees and other arbitrary purposes, such as financing Trump's future presidential library. Public service announcements and ads with conservative messaging will be supported by additional funding, which is anticipated to bring the package's overall value far above $30 million.
CBS also agreed to a new editorial policy that requires the public release of complete, unedited transcripts of any future interviews with presidential candidates as part of the agreement. According to reports, the new rule is known internally as the "Trump Rule."
Trump first demanded $20 billion in damages, citing a Face the Nation preview that showed Harris's digression in response to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Many people made fun of that part of the interview. There have been claims that CBS purposefully divided Harris' response to reduce political repercussions after a more polished response was shown separately during a primetime 60 Minutes broadcast.
Following a complaint, the FCC subsequently mandated that CBS make the complete transcript and uncut video available. Both versions originated from the same response, which was chopped in half across many broadcasts, according to the materials.
The aftermath rocked the network, despite CBS's denial of any wrongdoing. After losing authority over editorial choices, Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, resigned in April. Wendy McMahon, the president of CBS News, also resigned in May, claiming that the company's course no longer matched her own.
Several CBS veterans were adamantly against any payment. "Everyone at 60 Minutes believes that the lawsuit is total bulls***, so there should be no settlement and no money paid," one producer told Fox News Digital. A settlement would be "very damaging" to the network's reputation, according to correspondent Scott Pelley.
The final deal guarantees a sizable cash compensation and establishes a new benchmark for openness in how networks conduct presidential interviews, but it does not contain an admission of guilt or a direct personal payment to Trump.
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