Paramount Global and CBS have agreed to a settlement with former President Donald Trump, potentially exceeding $30 million, to resolve his election interference lawsuit against the network. The initial payment of $16 million covers Trump’s legal fees, case costs, and contributions to his future presidential library or charitable causes, at his discretion. Furthermore, Fox News Digital reported an anticipation of another mid-eight-figure allocation for advertisements, public service announcements, or similar transmissions by the network in support of conservative causes, though current Paramount management disputes this additional allocation. This settlement well surpasses the $15 million ABC paid Trump to resolve a defamation lawsuit last year.

A significant component of the settlement, dubbed the “Trump Rule” by those involved in talks, mandates that CBS will promptly release full, unedited transcripts of future presidential candidates’ interviews. Paramount's statement confirmed that “in the future, 60 Minutes will release transcripts of interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after such interviews have aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns.” However, the settlement explicitly states it “does not include a statement of apology or regret,” and “No amount will be paid directly or indirectly to President Trump personally.”

Trump’s lawsuit, initially seeking $10 billion and later upped to $20 billion, accused CBS of election interference concerning its handling of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The core of the complaint centered on an alleged deceitful editing of an exchange Harris had with correspondent Bill Whitaker. Critics claimed CBS News edited Harris’s “word salad” answer from a “Face the Nation” preview clip to shield the Democratic nominee from backlash, subsequently airing a different, more concise response in the primetime special. Raw transcripts and footage, later released by the FCC, showed both segments came from the same response, but CBS aired only the first half in the preview and the second in the special.

CBS News consistently denied any wrongdoing, standing by its broadcast and reporting. Despite this, the case created significant internal turmoil. Longtime “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens resigned in April, citing an inability to make “independent decisions” and vehemently opposing an apology. CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon also stepped down in May, stating, “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward.” High-profile CBS journalists, including Scott Pelley and Lesley Stahl, were reportedly against the settlement, with one veteran “60 Minutes” producer calling the lawsuit “complete bulls---.”

The pursuit of a settlement was widely believed to be influenced by Paramount Global’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, who sought to conclude the suit ahead of a planned multi-billion-dollar merger with Skydance Media. There were concerns about potential retribution from Trump’s FCC, which holds authority over such transactions. Although Paramount stated the lawsuit was “completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr had previously ordered CBS News to provide the unedited transcript as part of a probe into alleged “news distortion.”

From Trump’s perspective, the settlement marks another victory against the “Fake News media,” as articulated by a spokesperson for his legal team: “President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit.” Senator Bernie Sanders and other Democratic colleagues, however, viewed the potential settlement as a “grave mistake” and an “attack on the First Amendment,” asserting that “presidents do not get to punish or censor the media for criticizing them.”