Trump Wants $20 Billion From CBS — Here's Why He's Suing

President Donald Trump demanded a hefty payout from CBS when he filed a $20 billion lawsuit against the network in late 2024. Yes, that’s billion with a B. The suit, filed on Oct. 31, just days before Trump won the presidential election on Nov. 5, alleges that CBS engaged in deceptive practices tied to a 60 Minutes interview that aired earlier that October.

The demand for that much money has people wondering what the network could have allegedly done to warrant such a massive claim. So, why exactly is Trump suing CBS, and why have top network executives already resigned over it?

Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS in late 2024, alleging the network deceptively edited the Oct. 7 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, who at the time was vying to become the 47th President of the United States. According to Trump, Harris’s responses were edited in a way that made her answers appear more favorable, potentially giving her the upper hand in the election.

In response, Trump is seeking $20 billion in damages and has demanded the release of the full, unedited interview transcripts.

During a mid-October 2024 interview on Bussin' With the Boys, Trump touched on the basis for his lawsuit, claiming, "[Harris] gave some really stupid answers, and what [CBS] did is they cut those answers out and they put other answers in ... and I think it’s a very bad act."

Simply put, Trump is claiming CBS removed entire responses from Harris and replaced them with stronger answers from different portions of the same interview.

While speaking on the podcast, Trump also called the 60 Minutes edits "the biggest scandal in broadcast," accusing the network of "election interference" and calling it "license-threatening."

CBS has since released the full interview transcript and denied any wrongdoing. In a statement reported by AP News, the network insisted the edits were not "doctored or deceitful." CBS also explained that journalists routinely edit interviews for clarity and time, adding, "60 Minutes is always guided by the truth and what we believe will be most informative to the viewing public, all while working within the constraints of broadcast television."

Although CBS hasn’t admitted to any wrongdoing, the network is reportedly pushing to settle the lawsuit with Trump rather than let it play out in court. According to Politico, this may be because Paramount’s controlling shareholder is working to negotiate a sale that would require approval from the Trump administration.

That might explain why she appears to be on board with settling the lawsuit, a move some see as giving in and letting Trump win, despite the network maintaining that it did nothing wrong.

Amid the decision to work out a deal, two top CBS executives have decided to walk away from their roles: 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens and Wendy McMahon. As of now, no settlement has been finalized.