President Donald Trump has rejected a multi-million dollar offer from CBS News to settle his dispute over the 60-minute interview.
Nearly a month after negotiations began to resolve Trump’s explosive $20 billion demand against the chain, reports confirm that Paramount Global has quietly offered $15 million to make the scandal go away.
But Trump has criticized the chain’s proposal, calling it “not even close,” and is demanding tens of millions more (at least $25 million) along with a formal apology.
The lawsuit, filed last October, accuses CBS, its parent company Paramount and its flagship show 60 Minutes of deceptively editing a high-stakes interview with then-Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris just weeks before the 2024 election.
Trump claims the images were manipulated to “skew the balance” in Harris’ favor and irreparably damage her image with voters.
CBS backs down on the accusation and claims the broadcast was not distorted or misleading. It calls the accusations “completely false.”
But legal and political fallout now threatens to derail a much larger deal: Paramount’s $8.4 billion merger with Skydace Media, which is currently under review by Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The rejection of CBS’s settlement offer comes as Trump threatens to block billions of dollars in federal approvals for Paramount’s merger with Skydace Media and reporters say the president is not close to backing down.
President Donald Trump has rejected a multi-million dollar offer from CBS News to settle his dispute over the 60-minute interview.
Trump claims that the images of his interview with Kamala Harris were manipulated to “skew the balance” in his favor and irreparably damage his image with voters.
Paramount Global has quietly offered $15 million to settle the scandal, but Trump wants $25 million along with a formal apology.
The footage at the center of the lawsuit aired on 60 Wednesday in October 2024 and featured CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker interviewing Harris in a prime-time election special.
Trump’s lawsuit claims that CBS selectively removed a series of Harris’s halting and conflicting answers on topics including the war between Israel and Hamas, replacing them with clearer responses from a different part of the interview.
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Legal analysts note that the First Amendment grants CBS broad protections and say the lawsuit likely would not survive in court.
But fear of retaliation from the president and officials – who has threatened to revoke broadcasting licenses and jail journalists – has changed the level of risk that CBS and Paramount are willing to accept.
The lawsuit has now become one of the largest defamation claims ever filed against the media company.
CBS faces $20 billion in damages, the FCC’s federal investigation into possible “news distortion,” and a growing backlash as reporters accuse Paramount of trying to appease Trump to save the economy.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Paramount made the $15 million offer to Trump’s legal team, citing similar deals with other media-related firms.
But Trump’s recent victories against other media companies have empowered him to put more pressure on CBS and demand even more.
In October, Trump accused CBS of misleading the American public by deceptively editing the interview with Kamala Harris in a way that favored her but damaged his own image.
The high-stakes decision comes amid warnings from media insiders that paying Trump now could be seen as a payback to curry favor and accelerate Skydace’s $8 billion merger.
Not only does he want a significantly larger financial payment, but also a formal public apology from CBS News.
Trump has already won multi-billion dollar deals with other media companies, including Meta, which paid him $25 million in December, ABC News, which agreed to a $15 million deal in December, and X, which paid him $10 million in February.
“It’s not just bad editing,” he said, looking close to Trump’s team. “Fυe υпa electoral interference. That пo is resolved traпqυilameпte».
Paramoυпt, under the leadership of President Shari Redstope, has entered into mediation to attempt to resolve the conflict.
Redstope, 71, is said to be personally involved in evaluating whether to reach a quick settlement, while legal experts caution that any payment could be viewed as a “bribe” to speed FCC approval of the Skydace deal.
“If reaching an agreement with Trump’s demands seems like compensation, Paramout could be opening the door to personal liability and other shareholder damages,” a media lawyer told The New York Post. “This is legally radioactive.”
The legal saga has already caused significant casualties within CBS.
CBS News CEO Weddy McMaho issued her abrupt response earlier this month, citing “different views on the way forward.”
In a memo to staff, he wrote: “It has become clear that the company and I are not in agreement on the path forward. It is time for me to move forward and for this organization to advance with new leadership.”
Before his departure, Bill Owens, executive producer of 60 Minutes, also spoke out, citing concerns about “editorial independence.”
And during the broadcast, host Scott Pelley surprised viewers by saying on air that “Paramot began monitoring our environment with a variety of materials,” suggesting interference from corporate leadership.
These responses have deepened fears among CBS journalists that Redstope and Paramount’s board are sacrificing the integrity of the newsroom to preserve their corporate physique.
CBS News’ longest-serving employees, Bill Owens, former editor of 60 News, and Weddy McMaho, former news chief, have reaffirmed their commitment to the chain in recent weeks. Pictured here in May 2024.
Bill Oweps, 58, had worked at CBS News for decades and served as the third executive producer in the 60-minute program’s 57-year history since 2019.
Shari Redstope, the heiress to Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, has sought to resolve the ongoing demand while pursuing a massive media merger with Skydace.
The parties now say Redstop is prepared to offer up to $50 million to settle the lawsuit and move forward with its life, possibly pocketing $2 billion if the Skydace sale is completed.
The award-winning TV news program 60 Minutes, which attracts 10 million viewers weekly, is the main target of Trump’s media crackdown.
The program has continued to air critical investigations into the Trump administration since its return to the White House.
In response, Trump has called for his release, while his multi-millionaire adviser Elop Munk has said he expected the team behind 60 Mipotes to receive long prison sentences.
