LOS ANGELES, CA – Paramount Global agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump over a 2024 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris that he claims was edited to disadvantage his campaign. Paramount announced the settlement will pay Trump’s legal fees and go toward his future presidential library.  Legal experts widely dismissed the suit as meritless. Following the settlement, Democracy Defenders Action released the following statements:

Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Action: "This settlement is a dangerous surrender to a baseless lawsuit designed to bully the press. Paramount had an opportunity to stand up for journalism and the First Amendment, but instead they capitulated.

The lawsuit against Paramount–like many of Trump’s other lawsuits against the free press–isn’t about one interview or one network. It’s a test of whether powerful institutions will stand up to defend democratic norms when they’re under assault. Today, Paramount failed that test.”

Virginia Canter, chief counsel of ethics and anticorruption at Democracy Defenders Action:  “Today’s settlement represents another instance of President Trump abusing power to punish and coerce private companies for his own personal gain. The fact that Paramount agreed to this settlement when the fate of its merger with Skydance is being determined by the FCC is particularly concerning. Companies should not be placed in a position where they feel they must make decisions in fear of government retribution."