Donald Trump Returns to ’60 Minutes’ for First Interview After Suing CBS News

President Trump will sit down for an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” his first since suing the network last year in a case that ended with its parent company Paramount Global agreeing to pay a $16 million settlement. It will also mark Trump’s first appearance on the network since Paramount was acquired by David Ellison’s Skydance Media, and since the company acquired The Free Press and named its founder, Bari Weiss, editor-in-chief of CBS News.

Trump is being interviewed by network correspondent Norah O’Donnell in Florida on Friday afternoon, a network spokesperson confirmed to Variety.

The booking represents a mending of a rift between Trump and CBS News. A month prior to the 2024 election, the Trump campaign turned down an offer to be interviewed by “60 Minutes” under the argument that it would not accept interruptions due to fact-checking.

His opponent, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, accepted a “60 Minutes” interview, in turn spurring a lawsuit against CBS News filed by Trump just days before the 2024 election. The filing alleged that “60 Minutes” tried to mislead voters by airing two different edits of remarks made in the interview with Harris.

Though CBS and legal experts initially characterized the case as “meritless” and the company sought to have it thrown out, Paramount Global opted to pay $16 million towards Trump’s “presidential library” in July. The settlement came as Skydance Global sought to seek approval from the Trump-appointed leadership of the Federal Communications Commission for its acquisition of Paramount — a deal that has since closed.

Since Ellison’s takeover of Paramount, the company has raised eyebrows for seeming to appease conservative audiences, particularly with CBS News anointing Weiss, who forged her brand as a columnist arguing against progressive politics.

For his part, Trump has voiced his approval of Paramount’s new direction.

“[Oracle chairman] Larry Ellison is great, and his son David is great. They’re friends of mine. They’re big supporters of mine,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One in October. “They will make the right decisions. They’re going to revitalize CBS — hopefully, they’ll bring it back to its former glory. … It’s got great potential. CBS has great potential.” Following the Weiss hiring at CBS News, Trump told CNN, “I don’t expect them to become like Fox [News]. Just fair.”

Semafor was first to report on Trump booking an interview with CBS News.