Trump Returns to ’60 Minutes’ After Lawsuit Settlement
President Donald Trump returns to “60 Minutes” this weekend, appearing on the show for the first time since his lawsuit this summer with CBS News over the newsmagazine’s interview with Kamala Harris. Trump interviewed CBS’ Norah O’Donnell at Mar-a-Lago on Friday for the show, which will air this Sunday.
The president has an uneasy history with television’s most popular newsmagazine. But this summer he signaled friendlier relations with CBS News following the takeover of its parent company by new Paramount CEO David Ellison, the son of wealthy backer Larry Ellison.
CBS News offered few details Friday about how the interview came together or whether any ground rules applied. O’Donnell, the former “CBS Evening News” host, is not one of the show’s regular reporters.
Trump walked out of a “60 Minutes” interview with reporter Lesley Stahl shortly before the 2020 election complaining about bias, and his team released an unedited transcript of the conversation.
Despite invitations, he did not accept a “60 Minutes” interview during the 2024 election campaign. But he complained that the news magazine’s interview with Democratic rival Harris was deceptively edited to make her look good.
CBS News vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but Trump filed a lawsuit against the company. Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle the case this summer, shortly before the Federal Communications Commission approved Paramount’s merger with Ellison’s Skydance Media.
Following the lawsuit against Trump, “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens resigned last spring, saying it had become clear he could no longer run the show independently.
Ellison has signaled a closer relationship with Trump since taking over at Paramount. He appointed Kenneth Weinstein, the former president of a conservative think tank and a donor to Trump’s 2024 campaign, to investigate complaints that the network showed bias in its reporting.
Paramount also acquired the website Free Press in October and appointed founder Bari Weiss as the new editor-in-chief of CBS News. Weiss reportedly had a role in arranging the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his aide, Steve Witkoff, for a “60 Minutes” interview two weeks ago in which they talked about the peace agreement in Gaza.
Returning from the Middle East on October 12, he told reporters: “Larry Ellison is great, his son David is great too. They are my friends. They are my great supporters and they will do the right thing.”
