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Paramount’s Trump Settlement Calculus

A close look at why the Paramount board has yet to settle Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CBS and ‘60 Minutes’ when their $8 billion merger ostensibly hangs in the balance.

shari redstone
Is it fear that the payoff will look like a bribe? Doesn’t seem like Shari Redstone particularly cares about the optics at this point—especially since the collapse of the sale could be financially calamitous for her. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Eriq Gardner
June 3, 2025

Donald Trump wants more than $25 million to settle his lawsuit against CBS and 60 Minutes. Paramount Global, for its part, is reportedly offering around $15 million—about what Disney paid to resolve its George Stephanopoulos headache. On paper, that doesn’t seem like a huge gulf, especially given that Paramount’s $8 billion merger with David Ellison’s Skydance Media ostensibly hangs in the balance. So what’s actually holding up a deal?