President Trump tees off on '60 Minutes' again, threatens CBS broadcast licenses

Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times on Apr 14, 2025

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NEW YORK — The CBS news-magazine "60 Minutes" is not going easy on President Donald Trump and the commander-in-chief is noticing.

Trump went after the program Sunday in a social media post after seeing two critical stories regarding his handling of the Russia-Ukraine war and his proposal to annex Greenland.

"Almost every week, 60 Minutes, which is being sued for Billions of Dollars for the fraud they committed in the 2024 Presidential Election with their Interview of Failed Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, mentions the name 'TRUMP' in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend's 'BROADCAST' tops them all," Trump wrote.

Trump sued CBS for $20 billion, claiming the edits of a "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Harris that aired in October amounted to election interference.

The president and other conservatives chided CBS after it was revealed that "60 Minutes" producers had edited Harris' jumbled response to a question about the Biden administration's handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

But First Amendment experts have called the case frivolous. Journalism organizations commonly edit interviews for brevity and clarity. Nevertheless, Trump has demanded "a lot" of money to settle the case. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has also launched an investigation of CBS News about the program.

"They are not a "News Show," but a dishonest Political Operative simply disguised as "News," and must be responsible for what they have done, and are doing," Trump said in his post. "They should lose their license!"

CBS did not have an immediate comment on Trump's post.

The legal dispute has become an impediment to Paramount Global's ability to close an $8-billion merger deal with Skydance Media.

While executives at Paramount have discussed settling the president's lawsuit, leadership at CBS News has been staunchly opposed to any capitulation, fearing it will damage the reputation of "60 Minutes" and weaken journalism institutions overall.

"60 Minutes" has not backed down since Trump has taken aim at the program, which has continued to cover his administration's policies aggressively.

On Sunday, the program featured correspondent Scott Pelley's interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kryvyi Rih, his hometown, where last week nine children were killed on a playground in a missile attack. They discussed U.S. support for Ukraine, the state of the war and Zelenskyy's clash with the Trump administration in the Oval Office.

Zelenskyy said he has "100%" hatred for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine. He also invited Trump to his visit Ukraine to survey the damage to his country.