Trump Reportedly Endured 'Mental Torment' Following Controversial CBS News Interview with Harris, According to Legal Representative
In a recent development in the ongoing legal dispute between President Donald Trump and CBS News, Trump's legal team has asserted that the editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with Democratic opponent Kamala Harris last fall caused him "mental anguish." This claim is part of Trump's $20 billion lawsuit against the company, which was filed this week in a Texas court.
Trump's attorneys argue that the attention given to the interview damaged his reputation as a "content creator." This assertion forms part of their opposition to Paramount Global's bid to dismiss the lawsuit. Paramount, despite its effort to dismiss the case, is reportedly engaged in settlement discussions with Trump.
The controversy surrounds the editing of a question posed to Harris by "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker. According to Trump's lawyer, Edward Andrew Paltzik, the editing led to confusion among viewers and caused them to redirect their attention away from Trump and his Truth Social platform.
CBS maintains that each reply given by Harris to Whitaker's question was included within her long-winded answer, even though it was edited to be more concise. Trump's administration must approve Paramount's proposed merger with Skydance Media, and the company, along with its controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, is said to be seeking a settlement with Trump.
However, this prospect of a settlement has reportedly resulted in the resignation of two top executives at CBS News, Wendy McMahon and Bill Owens, who opposed a settlement. The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a media advocacy group claiming to be a Paramount shareholder, has threatened to file a lawsuit in protest if a settlement is reached.
Seth Stern, the foundation's advocacy director, has alleged that a settlement of Trump's lawsuit may be a cloaked attempt to bribe the court system. U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren have announced an investigation into whether such a settlement would violate bribery laws.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Paramount has proposed a $15 million settlement, but Trump is demanding more money and a public apology from CBS News. Representatives from the company have declined to comment on the report.
David Bauder covers media for the AP. To read more of his work, visit http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.
[1] Bauder, D. (2025, May 25). Trump lawsuit: CBS News, Paramount Global in $20 billion legal dispute over Kamala Harris interview. AP News.[2] Bauder, D. (2025, May 27). Trump accuses CBS News of causing him "mental anguish" in lawsuit. AP News.[3] Mohney, A., & Bauder, D. (2025, May 27). Trump seeks more money, apology in CBS lawsuit offer. AP News.
- The ongoing legal dispute between President Trump and CBS News, regarding the editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris, has led to Trump's $20 billion lawsuit against the company, filed in a Texas court this week.
- Trump's legal team argues that the attention given to the interview damaged his reputation as a "content creator" and forms part of their opposition to Paramount Global's bid to dismiss the lawsuit.
- In a potential turn of events, Paramount Global, despite its effort to dismiss the case, is reportedly engaged in settlement discussions with Trump regarding his $20 billion lawsuit.
- The controversy surrounds the editing of a question posed to Harris by "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker, with Trump's lawyer asserting that it led to confusion among viewers and caused them to redirect their attention away from Trump and his Truth Social platform.
- The Freedom of the Press Foundation, a media advocacy group, has threatened to file a lawsuit in protest if a settlement is reached, alleging that it may be a cloaked attempt to bribe the court system.
- Meanwhile, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren have announced an investigation into whether a possible settlement would violate bribery laws, regarding sports-betting, politics, general news, crime-and-justice, war-and-conflicts, politics, policy-and-legislation, sports, and business in Seattle and beyond.
