Former President Donald Trump has filed a high-stakes lawsuit against CBS News, accusing the network of “deceitful and deceptive manipulation” in a recent 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump alleges that CBS edited the interview to unfairly favor Harris just as the 2024 presidential election approaches, and he is demanding a jury trial and damages of at least $10 billion.
CBS has called Trump’s claims “completely without merit” and stands by its reporting, pledging to fight the case vigorously.
Editing Dispute Over Harris’s Middle East Comments
The lawsuit zeroes in on two segments of Harris’s response to questions about the Middle East conflict.
Trump claims that one clip was extended in a way that altered Harris’s answer, creating a false impression that favored the current administration.
He asserts this “deceitful editing” was intentional and alleges CBS overstepped ethical boundaries to support Harris.
In contrast, CBS issued a statement on October 20 defending its choice, explaining that the segment aired differently to fit the time constraints of another CBS program, Face the Nation.
“When we edit any interview, whether with a politician, an athlete, or a movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate, and on point,” the network stated.
Filed in the Northern District of Texas, Trump’s complaint claims that CBS’s actions violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Consumer Protection Act, a statute usually aimed at preventing businesses from misleading consumers about products or services.
Many legal experts, however, have cast doubt on this approach.
Geoffrey R. Stone, a First Amendment scholar at the University of Chicago, remarked that Trump’s use of the law is “a misapplication,” as the Texas statute applies to consumer sales and advertising, not news reporting.
Similarly, Harvard Law Professor Noah Feldman expressed his skepticism, calling the lawsuit “an outrageous violation of First Amendment principles” and questioning its legal validity.
“This is a complaint so ill-grounded that it comes close to being sanctionable as frivolous,” Feldman said.
This lawsuit against CBS is part of a pattern for Trump, who has previously filed lawsuits against major media outlets, including CNN, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, in cases that have often not ended in his favor.
Earlier this year, he filed a defamation lawsuit against ABC News, claiming anchor George Stephanopoulos’s questioning was defamatory.
Though he declined CBS’s invitation to appear for his own 60 Minutes interview, Trump has voiced strong objections to Harris’s interview on the campaign trail, calling it “fake news” and part of a larger media agenda against him.
The timing of the lawsuit has raised eyebrows, coming mere days before Election Day.
Many observers view it as a strategic move by Trump to influence public perception in his favor, particularly among undecided voters.
A campaign insider suggested that Trump believes the lawsuit will cast doubt on mainstream media’s credibility, potentially boosting his campaign.
“Millions of Americans were misled by CBS’s doctored version of this interview,” Trump’s legal team argues in the suit.
In response to Trump’s allegations, 60 Minutes re-emphasized that the two versions were due to time constraints and content alignment for each program.
“Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response,” the network’s statement explained.
The complaint does not include any direct allegations of defamation but hinges instead on claims of “deceptive trade practices.”
CBS contends that its editorial choices fall within the bounds of journalistic freedom, with the network maintaining it has acted ethically and fairly in its coverage.