President Donald Trump is reportedly in negotiations with CBS News for a high-profile sit-down on “60 Minutes” just months after the network’s parent company Paramount paid him $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a previous segment involving then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
The White House is demanding the interview be aired unedited, according to reporting by Semafor, after Trump accused them of deceptive editing in the Harris segment last year.
The interview, if finalized, would be conducted by Bill Whitaker — the same CBS correspondent whose 2024 interview with Harris became the centerpiece of Trump’s lawsuit.
A Legal and Media Saga
In 2024, then-candidate Trump sued CBS and its flagship Sunday news program “60 Minutes,” accusing the network of manipulating Harris’s answers in a segment that aired both on “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation.” At the heart of the lawsuit was a single interview response split into two separate clips, allegedly making Harris appear more consistent and composed in her views on U.S. policy toward Israel.
In her original answer, she rambled, “Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region.”
In the version uploaded to YouTube, she decisively stated, “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.”
Trump alleged the editing was intentionally misleading and designed to boost Harris’s image ahead of the election. Paramount chose to settle the case, paying the president $16 million, reportedly to avoid regulatory complications amid its pending merger with Skydance Media.
That merger, which officially closed in August, ended Shari Redstone’s control of Paramount and ushered in a new corporate structure led by David Ellison, CEO of Skydance.
Return to the Scene
Now, with CBS News on the verge of major editorial changes, including the expected appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief and a $150 million acquisition of her outlet, The Free Press, the network is attempting to re-engage with the Trump White House under very different circumstances.
Initial talks about a Trump interview reportedly began while the president was in New York for the UN General Assembly and the Ryder Cup, but scheduling conflicts pushed discussions into this week.
If it proceeds, the “60 Minutes” interview would be Trump’s first major sit-down with a mainstream broadcast network since returning to the White House in January. Sources say the White House views the interview as an opportunity to reset public engagement with legacy media — but only on their terms.
Political and Corporate Implications
The potential Trump interview comes as CBS News navigates a changing political and corporate landscape. With Bari Weiss expected to take the editorial helm as early as next week, and Ellison’s Skydance pushing for more independence from traditional Hollywood and media orthodoxy, the network appears eager to rebuild trust with viewers across the political spectrum.
But the decision to bring back Bill Whitaker — the same journalist at the center of the controversy — is seen as a gamble.
Whatever the intent, the interview could mark a turning point in how legacy media covers President Trump in his second term, and in how the administration handles its communication with the public.
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dont trust CBS from prior sessions on 60 Min.
The interview must be broadcast live in all time zones, uncut, uninterrupted, and commercial free. On a week that FOX has the 4:30 game, so the starting time is guaranteed. No monkey business.
Why prop up a lying bunch of liberals?