The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a Paramount shareholder, even threatened to sue the company’s board, warning that the settlement would undermine the newsroom’s credibility and damage the broader institution of journalism.
Internally, CBS staffers had already braced for a deal. 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl said in a May podcast that she expected a financial settlement and voiced her disapproval of corporate ownership of news operations, expressing frustration with Redstone directly.
CBS isn’t the only outlet facing legal blowback from Trump. In December, ABC News settled a $15 million lawsuit with him over mischaracterizations made by George Stephanopoulos during a 2024 interview with Rep. Nancy Mace. The anchor incorrectly stated that Trump had been “found liable for rape” — a distortion of the civil judgment in the E. Jean Carroll case. Like the CBS and Meta settlements, the money is going to Trump’s future presidential library.
Meta, too, was hit with a $25 million settlement over its suspension of Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts following the January 6 Capitol breach. That payout — the largest to date — also goes toward his library.
As for CBS, this settlement marks yet another high-profile media retreat. And as critics and supporters debate the implications, one thing is certain: Trump’s crusade against the media is racking up wins — and funding his library — one lawsuit at a time.