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President Donald Trump brought up his successful lawsuit against CBS News and "60 Minutes" during an interview on the program on Sunday, telling host Norah O'Donnell that they had to pay him "a lot of money."
"And actually '60 Minutes' paid me a lot of money. And you don’t have to put this on because I don’t want to embarrass you, and I’m sure you’re not," he said, before pointing to Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News, taking over. "I think you have a great new leader, frankly, because the young woman that’s leading your whole enterprise is a great, from what I know, I don’t know her, but I hear she’s a great person."
"60 Minutes" posted the extended version of the president's interview to its YouTube channel. The remarks did not air live on the show Sunday night.
He went on, "But ‘60 Minutes’ was forced to pay me a lot of money because they took her answer out that was so bad." Trump was referring to a "60 Minutes" interview last year with former Vice President Kamala Harris, which was at the center of his lawsuit against the network.
President Donald Trump gestures as he boards Air Force One for his departure to South Korea, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan October 29, 2025. (Kim Kyung-Hoon / Pool/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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The president filed a lawsuit against CBS News and its parent company, Paramount, in October 2024. He alleged election interference over their handling of the "60 Minutes" interview with Harris and what portions of it they aired.
The lawsuit stemmed from an exchange Harris had with "60 Minutes" correspondent Bill Whitaker, who asked her why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wasn't "listening" to the Biden administration. The network aired different answers on different nights, with Trump and others claiming they purposefully made her look more coherent.
Paramount and CBS agreed to settle the lawsuit in July. It amounted to $16 million to cover legal fees, costs of the case, and contributions to his future presidential library or charitable causes, to be determined at Trump’s discretion.
The settlement drew harsh criticism and allegations that the network essentially paid off the Trump administration to finalize its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Wiltern Theatre on September 29, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Trump also told O'Donnell that he sees positive developments in the media.
"I see good things happening in the news. I really do. And I think one of the best things that happened is this show and new ownership, CBS and new ownership," he said.
Weiss' ascension at CBS has drawn consternation from media progressives, in part due to her pro-Israel views and criticism of the liberal press.
The president also spoke to O'Donnell about New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who he called a communist.
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O’Donnell asked Trump what he would do if Mamdani is elected mayor.
"It’s going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York," Trump said. "Because if you have a communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there. So I don’t know that he’s won, and I’m not a fan of Cuomo one way or another, but if it’s going to be between a bad Democrat and a communist, I’m going to pick the bad Democrat all the time, to be honest with you."
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Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.
