This will be President Trump’s first interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” since the lawsuit ended last year when parent company Paramount Global agreed to pay a $16 million settlement. It will also be Trump’s first appearance on the station since Paramount was acquired by David Ellison’s Skydance Media, and since the company acquired the Free Press and appointed its founder, Bari Weiss, as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
Trump was interviewed by correspondent Norah O’Donnell in Florida on Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for the network confirmed to Variety.
The appointment is meant to mend the rift between President Trump and CBS News. A month before the 2024 election, the Trump campaign declined an interview request from 60 Minutes, saying it wouldn’t accept interruptions with fact-checking.
His Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris, gave a 60 Minutes interview, spurring a lawsuit Trump filed against CBS News just days before the 2024 election. The filing alleges that 60 Minutes attempted to mislead voters by broadcasting two edited versions of Harris’ interview statements.
CBS and legal experts initially found the lawsuit “without merit,” and the company sought to have it thrown out, but Paramount Global opted in July to pay $16 million for Trump’s “Presidential Library.” The settlement was an attempt by Skydance Global to seek approval from the President Trump-appointed leadership of the Federal Communications Commission for its acquisition of Paramount, which had already closed.
Since Mr. Ellison bought Paramount, the company has raised eyebrows for appearing to appease conservative viewers, especially after hiring Mr. Weiss, who built CBS News’ brand as a columnist opposed to progressive politics.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed support for Paramount’s new direction.
“(Oracle Chairman) Larry Ellison is great, and his son David is great. They’re my friends. They’re my biggest supporters,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One in October. “They’re going to make the right decisions. They’re going to revitalize CBS — and hopefully restore it to its former glory. … CBS has great potential. CBS has great potential.” Following Weiss’ hiring for CBS News, President Trump told CNN, “I don’t expect them to be like Fox (News). It’s just fair.”
