Trump Files $20 Billion Lawsuit Against CBS, 60 Minutes, and Paramount Over Harris Interview, Demands License Revocation

Washington, D.C. — Former President Donald Trump has launched a high-stakes legal battle against CBS News, its flagship program "60 Minutes," and parent company Paramount Global, filing a lawsuit seeking $20 billion in damages. The suit, initially filed in October 2024 and amended in February 2025, centers on allegations that a "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris was deceptively edited to mislead voters during the 2024 presidential election. Trump has also publicly called for the revocation of CBS’s broadcasting license, escalating his ongoing feud with the network.

The controversy stems from an October 7, 2024, "60 Minutes" segment featuring Harris, conducted by correspondent Bill Whitaker. Trump’s legal team claims CBS aired two different versions of Harris’s response to a question about Israel’s war in Gaza, one in a preview on "Face the Nation" and another in the main broadcast. The lawsuit alleges the network deliberately selected a more coherent answer for the "60 Minutes" airing to bolster Harris’s image, constituting “partisan and unlawful acts of election and voter interference” (The Guardian, March 7, 2025). Trump’s amended complaint, which doubled the damages claim from $10 billion to $20 billion, further accuses CBS of violating Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the federal Lanham Act by engaging in false advertising that diverted viewership from Trump’s Truth Social platform (Deadline, February 7, 2025).

“This was Election changing ‘stuff,’ Election Interference and, quite simply, Election Fraud at a level never seen before,” Trump posted on social media, demanding that CBS “should lose its license” and that "60 Minutes" be “immediately terminated” (Variety, February 6, 2025). He has repeatedly claimed the edits were designed to mask Harris’s “word salad” responses, a charge CBS has denied, asserting the interview “was not doctored” and that editing was standard practice to fit time constraints (CBS News, October 31, 2024).

CBS and Paramount have moved to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing it is “an affront to the First Amendment and is without basis in law or fact” (The Guardian, March 7, 2025). The network emphasized that both versions of Harris’s response came from the same answer and were edited for clarity, a routine practice in broadcast journalism. Legal experts have widely criticized the suit as “frivolous” and “dangerous,” with some suggesting it aims to intimidate the press rather than achieve a legal victory (CNN, October 31, 2024). “The transcript shows Trump’s complaints are not just hyperbolic and legally groundless. They are demonstrably false,” wrote Jacob Sullum for Reason (Reason, February 6, 2025).

The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Texas, has raised concerns about “judge shopping,” as it is being heard by Trump-appointed Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk (The Washington Post, October 31, 2024). To strengthen ties to Texas, Trump’s team added Representative Ronny Jackson, a Texas resident, as a co-plaintiff, claiming he was also misled as a viewer (Variety, April 7, 2025). CBS has countered that the case lacks jurisdiction in Texas and should be moved to New York, where the network is headquartered (Hollywood Reporter, March 6, 2025).

Adding complexity, Paramount is reportedly exploring settlement talks, potentially motivated by its pending merger with Skydance Media, which requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), now led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr (The New York Times, January 30, 2025). Carr has initiated an FCC probe into the Harris interview, demanding unedited transcripts and footage, which CBS provided in February 2025 (AP News, January 31, 2025). Some speculate Paramount’s openness to settling reflects concerns about regulatory hurdles, though such a move has alarmed CBS journalists, who fear it could undermine the network’s credibility (CNN, January 31, 2025).

The case has sparked broader debate about press freedom, with critics like Senator Bernie Sanders warning that settling “would undermine the belief that we have an independent media protected by the First Amendment” (CNN, January 31, 2025). Meanwhile, Trump’s calls for license revocation have drawn scrutiny, as the federal government does not issue licenses to networks like CBS, only to individual stations (The Washington Post, October 31, 2024).

As the lawsuit heads toward mediation, with a court-ordered deadline of December 20, 2025 (Variety, April 7, 2025), it remains a flashpoint in Trump’s contentious relationship with the media, raising questions about the balance between political pressure and journalistic integrity.

Sources: The Guardian, March 7, 2025; Deadline, February 7, 2025; Variety, February 6, 2025; CBS News, October 31, 2024; CNN, October 31, 2024; Reason, February 6, 2025; The Washington Post, October 31, 2024; Variety, April 7, 2025; Hollywood Reporter, March 6, 2025; The New York Times, January 30, 2025; AP News, January 31, 2025; CNN, January 31, 2025.

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