Donald Trump recently asserted that the future owner of CBS, the well-known US television network, will provide him with $20 million worth of advertising and programming. He eventually won a $16 million settlement from Paramount, CBS’s parent company. This settlement followed accusations of dishonest editorializing in a controversial cut of a pre-election interview with Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate. The resulting settlement details have raised eyebrows and sparked criticism around ethical, unbiased media reporting.
Those recent advances could not have come at a better time, with Donald Trump set to stay on air through May. On Monday, he declared that “the gloves are off,” signaling an escalation in his rhetoric and interactions with the media. His flying $20 million on programming claim is sure to bring the noise of much more adverse PR. This continues in the recent wake of CBS’s last Thursday announcement that they will cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
Critics have reacted strongly to Trump’s claims. Left-leaning political superstar and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren took the proposal to task on X, formerly known as Twitter. She continued, “This stinks like corruption. As Stephen Colbert noted, the settlement between Paramount and Trump is “one big fat bribe.” This dramatic confirmation deepens the troubling—and often perilous—discussion about the long history of relationships between media companies and government figures.
The $16 million settlement has been interpreted by many as another instance of media companies capitulating to Donald Trump in a bid to placate his influence. Protesters have pointed to noted violations as a breach of journalism’s integrity. They raise alarms over potential media organization conflicts of interest created by this trend. The cancellation of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” has added to the narrative that corporate interests may be swaying editorial decisions.
Skydance Media, the entertainment company founded in 2010 by Ellison, has close ties to Donald Trump. David Ellison, son of Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison. None other than David Ellison, the Trump administration’s best-documented environmental foe and president’s favorite “ally.” Analysts say that his close ties to Trump might affect how media powerhouses such as CBS deal with him.
As this story develops, it should be fascinating to observe how these claims and responses push and pull Donald Trump’s media appearance. This, in turn, will shape the desert of American television. The ramifications of this settlement and Trump’s claims will undoubtedly play out through the 2024 political cycle and beyond in politics and in the court of public opinion.