ABC, Meta and Paramount settle Trump’s lawsuits
- Status
- Paid
- Type
- Legal settlements · Jul 1, 2025
- Counterparty
- ABC News (Disney), Meta Platforms, Paramount Global
- Amount
- $15 million, $25 million and $16 million, mostly directed to Trump’s presidential library
- People
- Donald Trump
WHO PAID, WHO GOT WHAT
Three companies paid to end Trump’s suits, including the ABC and “60 Minutes” suits, which most legal experts cited by NPR and CBS News considered weak: ABC over a George Stephanopoulos statement (December 2024), Meta over the 2021 account suspensions (January 2025; $22 million to the library), and Paramount over a “60 Minutes” edit (July 2025), while Paramount awaited federal approval of its merger with Skydance.
WHAT THE RECORD SHOWS
None of the settlements included an apology from Paramount or Meta; ABC posted an editor’s note expressing regret. CBS News reported that two Florida nonprofits were set up for library donations; the second, the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, lists Trump’s son Eric, son-in-law Michael Boulos and a lawyer who once represented Trump as its trustees.
RESPONSE
Paramount said the lawsuit was “completely separate from and unrelated to the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process,” and co-CEO George Cheeks told shareholders that legal costs, the risk of an adverse judgment and possible business disruption were reasons to settle, NBC News reported. CBS News reported that Paramount had maintained the suit was without merit. ABC News said it was “pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit,” the Associated Press reported. Meta did not comment but confirmed the Wall Street Journal’s report of the settlement, which said Meta did not admit wrongdoing, Forbes reported.
Correction. An earlier version dated the Paramount settlement July 2, 2025, the date of the cited news reports. Paramount announced it late on July 1, 2025. Corrected September 18, 2026.
SOURCES
- CBS News: Paramount, President Trump reach $16 million settlement over “60 Minutes” lawsuit ↗
- NPR: ABC settles with Trump for $15 million. Now, he wants to sue other news outlets ↗
- Forbes: Meta to pay $25 million settlement over Trump’s censorship lawsuit ↗
- NBC News: Paramount agrees to pay $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit over ‘60 Minutes’ Kamala Harris interview ↗
- NPR (Associated Press): ABC agrees to give $15 million to Trump’s presidential library to settle lawsuit ↗
- CBS News: Critics of Trump’s presidential library fundraising say “there are no rules” ↗
- The Wall Street Journal: Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle 2021 Trump Lawsuit ↗
A connection recorded here is not proof that it bought the outcome. Where a response exists, it is part of the record. How entries are labeled · Submit a correction or response · Download the ledger
