CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell will interview Donald Trump this afternoon in Florida — his first with the network since its parent company, Paramount, paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit from Trump stemming from the 2024 presidential campaign, Semafor reported today.
"It will mark the president’s first time sitting down with the network since the lawsuit over the editing of an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election," the report said. "Despite serious legal doubts about whether Trump’s argument would succeed in court, Paramount opted instead to pay Trump $16 million to settle."
Critics widely criticized that deal as extortion and "the lawsuit roiled CBS News, contributing to significant personnel changes," Raw Story reported. Executive producer Bill Owens resigned in April, saying he "would not be allowed" to make independent journalistic decisions.
Semafor weighed in that "CBS News is learning that several million dollars go a long way to healing a relationship with President Donald Trump."
"In recent months, the Trump administration’s pressure has altered editorial policies at the network. CBS agreed earlier this year to release full transcripts of future 60 Minutes presidential interviews. And following criticism from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s team over an interview on the network’s Sunday show, Face The Nation, CBS News announced that in the future it would only air unedited interviews on the program.
"Trump has returned the favor by publicly nodding in the network’s direction," Semafor noted, pointing to Trump's recent praise for Paramount's owners. 'Larry Ellison is great, and his son, David, is great. They’re friends of mine. They’re big supporters of mine. And they’ll do the right thing,'” Trump said.
“And it’s got great potential. CBS has great potential."