Paramount Global said it would pay $16 million under its deal with President Donald Trump to settle his “60 Minutes” lawsuit, which legal experts widely agreed was baseless. But Trump is claiming the settlement is actually worth at least double that — and as much as $35 million, when factoring in “advertising.” Paramount has denied the settlement includes a provision to air public service announcements on CBS or any of its other networks.
Trump, speaking with reporters in a motorcade back the White House late Thursday night after his trip to speak at a rally in Iowa, was asked about the settlement with Paramount and CBS. He claimed, “We did a deal for about $16 million plus 16 million, or maybe more than that in advertising,” according to a White House pool report filed at 12:55 a.m. ET Friday by Washington Post reporter Cat Zakrzewski. “So it’s a combination of 16 plus 16 plus. So it’s like $32 [million]. Maybe $35 million.”
In a July 2 statement, Paramount Global said: “Contrary to some news reports or media speculation, Paramount’s settlement with President Trump does not include PSAs or anything related to PSAs. Paramount has no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement proposed by the mediator and accepted by the parties. The material terms of the settlement agreement in principle are those disclosed by us yesterday.”
What’s going on here? Paramount is awaiting the FCC’s approval for its deal to merge with Skydance Media. And in an attempt to grease the skids to close the deal, Skydance Media CEO David Ellison has reportedly agreed to give Trump free advertising time on Paramount’s networks once that merger is final.
The New York Post, in a report published July 2, cited an anonymous source who said Skydance’s Ellison had reached a “side deal” with Trump, under which CBS will air PSAs “and other broadcast transmissions” valued at between $15 million and $20 million that “support conservative causes supported by President Trump.” A rep for Skydance did not respond to a request for comment.
On June 18 at the White House, Trump did not directly answer a reporter’s question about what is holding up approval of the Skydance-Paramount deal. But the president immediately began discussing his “60 Minutes” lawsuit, after saying David Ellison will “do a great job” as head of the merged Skydance-Paramount.
Meanwhile, the statement from Trump’s legal team issued July 1 did not included any references to PSAs as part of the agreement. “With this record settlement, President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit,” a rep for Trump’s legal team said in the statement. “CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle. President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American People as he continues on his singular mission to Make America Great Again.”
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