President Donald Trump is taking aim at CBS News and its long-running program 60 Minutes, calling for severe penalties over what he describes as blatant election interference and deceptive journalism. In a fiery statement, Trump accused the network of “fraudulent” reporting and demanded that it face consequences, including heavy FCC fines and possible revocation of its broadcasting license.
At the center of the controversy is a $20 billion lawsuit filed by Trump against CBS and its parent company, Paramount Global. The lawsuit alleges that 60 Minutes deceptively edited an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election, deliberately altering the presentation of her responses to portray her in a more favorable light. Trump argues the editing misled the American public and may have influenced the outcome of the race.
“This wasn’t journalism—it was propaganda,” Trump said. “CBS and 60 Minutes used their platform to manipulate a presidential election. They should pay a very big price for what they did.”
The Federal Communications Commission, chaired by Brendan Carr, has reportedly launched an investigation into the matter. Trump is urging the FCC to impose the maximum possible penalties and is calling on the agency to examine whether CBS should retain its license to broadcast. The administration has signaled that no media entity is above the law—especially when national elections are at stake.
The timing of the FCC’s review also poses a potential obstacle for Paramount’s pending $8 billion merger with Skydance Media. With the lawsuit and regulatory scrutiny casting a shadow over the deal, insiders say CBS could face mounting legal and political pressure in the coming weeks.
CBS, for its part, has pushed back on the allegations. The network claims the edits made to the Harris interview were standard editorial decisions and denies any intent to deceive viewers. A spokesperson defended the piece as “fair, balanced, and consistent with our journalistic standards.”
But critics on the Right say this is part of a much broader pattern of media manipulation and left-wing bias. They point to years of selective editing, strategic omissions, and partisan framing by legacy networks like CBS as evidence that corporate media has abandoned its role as an honest broker of information.
“This goes far beyond one interview,” said a senior Trump campaign adviser. “It’s about a media machine that acts like a political arm of the Democrat Party and thinks it can get away with anything. Those days are over.”
Trump’s legal team is also pushing for full discovery rights in the lawsuit, seeking internal communications, production notes, and raw footage from CBS and 60 Minutes. If granted, the move could expose behind-the-scenes efforts to shape the 2024 election narrative.
As legal proceedings move forward and the FCC weighs its next steps, the showdown between President Trump and CBS is shaping up to be a landmark battle over media accountability, political bias, and the integrity of American elections.