President Donald Trump participated in an interview with CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell on July 7, 2025, marking a significant shift in the relationship between the former president and the network. This interview took place in Florida after O’Donnell traveled there to prepare, as it was initially scheduled to occur in New York.
The backdrop to this interview is a contentious legal battle that unfolded in October 2024, when Trump filed a lawsuit against CBS following a 60 Minutes segment featuring former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump accused CBS of deceitfully editing the interview to favor the Democratic Party. In a surprising turn of events, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, settled the lawsuit with Trump for $16 million in July 2025. Trump later suggested that the value of the settlement could increase when accounting for pro-Trump advertising across various networks owned by Paramount.
The recent developments at CBS News coincide with changes within the network’s leadership. Earlier this year, Paramount merged with Skydance Media, led by Trump ally David Ellison. Following this merger, Bari Weiss was appointed as the editor-in-chief of The Free Press. Since Weiss took on this role, CBS News has faced significant layoffs, raising concerns about the diversity of its workforce. Reports indicate that at least one producer claimed that producers of color were disproportionately affected by these layoffs, while white counterparts were reassigned within the company.
As Trump continues to navigate his post-presidency era, this interview with CBS could indicate a renewed willingness to engage with mainstream media outlets following a tumultuous relationship marked by legal disputes and public disagreements. The implications of this interview and the surrounding circumstances may have lasting effects on both Trump’s media strategy and CBS’s approach to political journalism in the future.
The evolving dynamics between prominent figures like Trump and major media organizations like CBS highlight the complex interplay of politics and journalism in the current landscape.
