Paramount says its $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump has nothing to do with a proposed merger with Skydance Media that needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission. The chairman of the FCC has said that, as well.
But the announcement of a settlement is raising eyebrows, especially within the media.
The New York Times, in its report, called the settlement “an extraordinary concession” and “the clearest sign yet that Mr. Trump’s ability to intimidate major American institutions extends to the media industry.”
It comes on the heels of another settlement for the same amount with ABC News, which Trump sued for defamation after George Stephanopoulos said several times that the president had been found “liable for rape,” which was not true.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Washington. | Evan Vucci
In both cases, the money will be paid not to Trump himself, but to a future presidential library. Paramount will also pay Trump’s legal fees, and as part of the settlement, CBS will release transcripts of presidential candidates’ interviews on “60 Minutes.”
Why did Trump sue Paramount and CBS?
The editing of an interview with then Vice President Kamala Harris was at the heart of Trump’s lawsuit. The interview aired on Oct. 7, 2024, and initially didn’t generate controversy. But then someone in the Trump campaign noticed that one of the vice president’s responses shown Oct. 6 on “Face the Nation” wasn’t what aired on “60 Minutes.”
Trump accused “60 Minutes” of deceptive editing, saying it was done to make Harris seem “more presidential.”
The CBS Broadcast Center is pictured on 57th Street in New York City on April 20, 2023. | Ted Shaffrey
He filed suit a few weeks later, accusing the network of election interference, and asking for $10 billion in damages. Despite calls for CBS to release the transcript, the network did not do so until after Trump’s inauguration, when Brendan Carr was made chair of the FCC. (The FCC also released an unedited video of the interview.)
After the transcript’s release, the Los Angeles Times reported on the discrepancies, saying, “During the ‘Face the Nation’ clip, Harris gave a wordy response. In the ’60 Minutes’ broadcast, her answer was more succinct: ‘We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.’”
Throughout the campaign, Harris was often derided by Trump supporters for giving meandering answers to questions that were called “word salads.”
Paramount maintains that it did nothing wrong, and that its editing was proper. Company executives have stressed that the settlement did not require an apology, unlike an agreement the Trump administration struck with the University of Pennsylvania this week over transgender athletes competing on women’s sports teams.
Settlement or bribe?
Citing unnamed sources “familiar with the negotiations,” The New York Times reported that Paramount was worried that the settlement could be seen as a bribe. The board of directors, according to the Times, ”had to weigh the corporate benefits of a settlement against the perception that they were greenlighting a deal to secure an unrelated merger.”
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Wednesday that she would open an investigation into whether anti-bribery laws were broken, and the nonprofit Freedom of the Press Foundation is considering suing Paramount.
The group’s director of advocacy, Seth Stern, told Poynter.org after the announcement, “Paramount’s spineless decision to settle Trump’s patently unconstitutional lawsuit is an insult to the First Amendment and to the journalists and viewers of ‘60 Minutes.’ It’s a dark day for Paramount and for press freedom.”
The group has filed a request for documents related to the settlement and Stern said they are reviewing legal options on behalf of Paramount shareholders, which include the foundation itself.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also said the settlement marked a “dark day for freedom of the press” and in a statement called Trump’s lawsuit “bogus.”
In a conversation with shareholders, however, Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks defended the settlement, saying “Companies often settle litigation to avoid the high and somewhat unpredictable cost of legal defense,” per Variety.
A judgment against Paramount, had the suit gone to trial, could pose “significant financial as well as reputational damage,” Cheeks said on the call.
The CBS logo at the entrance to its headquarters in New York, Dec. 6, 2018. | Mark Lennihan
How much does a presidential library cost?
Trump’s lawsuit was a continuation of his campaign against what he calls “fake news,” and he’s now 2-0 with the Paramount settlement.
His future presidential library is already well funded, thanks to the ABC and CBS settlements and another $25 million he won in a settlement struck with Meta over the suspension of Trump’s account. (The presidential library is also the ultimate recipient of the $400 million jet that Trump accepted from Qatar.)
But if the president intends to make the press that he both seeks and despises pay for his library through settlements, he has many more lawsuits to file. Barack Obama’s presidential library, set to open next year in Chicago, is reported to cost more than $800 million.
