In a late-breaking development, Paramount Global and CBS entered into an agreement with President Donald Trump to resolve his ongoing lawsuit against the former Tiffany Network. Trump has originally sought $20 billion, but the agreed-upon terms fall in line with the earlier resolution of his lawsuit against ABC.
Per Fox News:
Paramount Global and CBS agreed on Tuesday to pay President Donald Trump a sum that could reach north of $30 million to settle the president’s election interference lawsuit against the network.
Trump will receive $16 million upfront. This will cover legal fees, costs of the case, and contributions to his library or charitable causes, to be determined at Trump’s discretion. There is an expectation that there will be another allocation in the mid-eight figures set aside for advertisements, public service announcements, or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network, Fox News Digital has learned.
Sources close to the situation told Fox News Digital that CBS has agreed to update its editorial standards to install a mandatory new rule. Going forward, the network will promptly release full, unedited transcripts of future presidential candidates’ interviews. People involved in the settlement talks have referred to this as the "Trump Rule."
The settlement of the lawsuit clears the way for the sale of Paramount Global to Skydance Media, who will then have to decide what to do with the beleaguered CBS News. The most interesting development here will be CBS’s adoption of the Trump Rule, wherein full, unedited interview transcripts will be immediately released upon conclusion of an interview with a presidential candidate.
The Acela Media will surely whine about the settlement and Trump Rule, and call it some form or other of a capitulation before authoritarianism, or preventive obedience or whatever else they might want to make up. But it is important to remember what led to the suit being filed in the first place. CBS's new ownership has an opportunity to assess a number of things related to how they cover presidental candidates going forward.
This is a developing story. We will provide more updates as they become available.