Former President Donald Trump is suing CBS News for $10 billion, claiming the network engaged in “deceptive conduct” in its handling of an interview with Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes,” which he alleges was intended to sway the 2024 election.
Trump’s legal team contends that CBS News manipulated the interview with Harris, creating a misleading portrayal to favor her campaign and disadvantage Trump’s.
In the complaint, Trump’s attorneys argue that CBS committed “malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion calculated to confuse, deceive, and mislead the public,” allegedly as part of a strategy to “tip the scales in favor of the Democratic Party.”
“President Trump brings this action to address the severe damage caused to him, his campaign, and millions of Americans by CBS’s deceptive broadcast practices,” the lawsuit reads, emphasizing that CBS’s alleged actions harmed Trump’s reputation and misinformed the public.
The lawsuit centers on a specific interaction between Harris and “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker.
In a preview clip aired on “Face the Nation,” Whitaker asked Harris about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s seemingly dismissive stance toward U.S. positions. Harris responded with what critics described as a “word salad,” saying:
“Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by, or a result of, many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region.”
Conservatives quickly criticized Harris’s response, noting its vague and roundabout phrasing. However, when the same question was aired later during a primetime election special, her response was edited down to a much more direct statement:
“We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
This discrepancy sparked accusations from Trump supporters and other critics who claim that CBS News edited the interview to make Harris appear more focused and articulate, shielding her from criticism.
Trump’s attorneys sent letters to CBS demanding the release of the full, unedited transcript and insisting that the network preserve all related documents and communications, suggesting potential legal action.
CBS declined to release the uncut version, defending its editorial decisions by citing the First Amendment and maintaining that it had not “doctored” the interview.
“The interview was not doctored,” CBS stated, asserting that the program “did not hide any part of the vice president’s answer to the question at issue.”
In the lawsuit, Trump’s team accuses CBS of crossing a line from journalism to active manipulation, alleging that “to paper over Kamala’s ‘word salad’ weakness, CBS used its national platform to engage in deceitful, deceptive manipulation.”
The complaint contends that this approach misled viewers about Harris’s response on a critical foreign policy issue — the U.S. stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict — just weeks before the 2024 presidential election.
Trump’s attorneys argue that news organizations have a responsibility to report events accurately, not to adjust coverage to benefit a candidate’s public image.
According to the lawsuit, CBS’s actions created confusion among the public as to whether they were seeing Harris’s authentic stance or an edited, more favorable version crafted by “behind-the-scenes editors.”
Seeking to hold CBS accountable, Trump’s legal team is demanding a jury trial and at least $10 billion in damages for CBS’s alleged “false, misleading, and deceptive acts,” as well as for the costs associated with the lawsuit.
