Donald Trump has won a very public court battle against one of the major media corporations in the US, and the reward is substantial.
Donald Trump is used to making deals and going to court. And this time, the president came out on top.
In a court struggle with Trump over an edited interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that aired on the popular news magazine 60 Minutes, Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, has finally agreed to pay $16 million.
Trump stated that the network shortened the interview on purpose to make Harris look smarter and more put together, which gave her an unfair edge in the presidential race.
As part of the settlement, CBS and Paramount don’t have to say they’re sorry or admit they did anything wrong. They do, however, have to pay a lot of money, which is claimed to go toward Trump’s legal fees and his eventual presidential library.
Trump’s lawyer claimed, “CBS and Paramount Global knew how strong this historic case was and had to settle.”
The first interview that launched it all
There are two different interviews with Kamala Harris in this case: one that aired on Face the Nation and one that aired on 60 Minutes. Trump added that Harris’s answer to a question about the Biden administration’s position on the Israel-Gaza conflict was changed to hide her so-called “word salad” and stop people from getting angry.
Trump’s counsel argued that CBS’s editing of the interview hurt the president a lot emotionally, saying he went through “mental anguish” because of it.
CBS maintained that the editing was regular and done to save time, and they denied having any malicious motives.
A CBS spokesperson said, “The broadcast was not changed or misleading.”
Trump chose not to talk to 60 Minutes throughout the campaign.
But Trump’s lawsuit, which started out asking for an incredible $10 billion in damages and later went up to $20 billion, stated that the network was trying to “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic party.”
A fight in the news
In October of last year, the court case became public, and it got worse as Trump’s lawyers pushed the idea that this wasn’t just about one interview; it was about “holding the Fake News media accountable.”
Trump’s spokesperson remarked after the settlement, “A win for the American people.” “President Trump will always make sure that no one lies to the American people.”
The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal both believe that Paramount’s decision to settle was influenced by its ongoing efforts to merge with Skydance Media. The Wall Street Journal heard from sources that executives wanted the merger to happen fast because the Federal Communications Commission was looking into it and Trump could make it harder for it to happen.
But the company didn’t appreciate the rumors. “This case has nothing to do with the Skydance purchase or how the Federal Communications Commission gives its approval. “We will follow the law to defend our case,” they stated.
As part of the contract, 60 Minutes will also make full transcripts of interviews with future presidential contenders available. This is seen as a direct response to Trump’s team’s concerns about being open.
What happened at CBS
The case has already had a huge effect on CBS.
It is said that a number of high-ranking officials, including CEO Wendy McMahon, quit during the month-long talks. People close to the situation indicated that the shake-up happened because they didn’t say sorry to Trump.
McMahon claimed she was departing on May 19. She left months after Bill Owens, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, did. She said it was because he couldn’t be independent as a journalist amid Trump’s lawsuit.
There was also more anxiety behind the scenes that the payment may be seen as a bribe to a public official because Trump played a big part in the merger of the media organizations.
CBS has kept to its editorial standards, but in the end, it gave in to the settlement. This is one of several recent things the media has given in to Trump. ABC News, which is owned by Disney, also recently settled a lawsuit for defamation brought by the president.
You could call it a media reckoning or a political pressure play, but one thing is clear: Donald Trump isn’t backing down from what he calls the “Fake News media.” This time, he made a lot of money.