Trump Doubles Down on CBS Lawsuit, Now Seeking $20 Billion

President Trump has doubled down in his lawsuit against CBS and parent company Paramount over claims the network deceptively edited an interview with Kamala Harris, saying in an amendment to his legal complaint that he now wants $20 billion after alleging that the network ruined the bottom line of his social media platform.In an amendment filed on Friday night, the president said that the interview amounted to “unfair competition” under the federal Lanham Act — which allows trademark holders the right to pursue civil action if their trademark is infringed upon or diluted by an outside party— and that Truth Social was harmed by CBS’s editing of Ms. Harris’ interview during the presidential election.“President Trump was harmed as a competitor in the news media industry and suffered actual damages in an amount to be determined upon trial of this action,” the amended complaint states. “Viewership was improperly diverted to Defendants’ media platforms, resulting in lower consumer engagement, advertising revenues and profits.”Mr. Trump initially sued for $10 billion in October, saying that the Tiffany Network had violated a Texas consumer fraud statute, alleging that the interview was “manipulated” and that 60 Minutes producers had deleted “Harris word salads that made no sense” concerning questions about Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the war in Gaza and other matters.“Defendants’ tampering went way beyond the exchange about Prime Minister Netanyahu,” the suit alleges. “This was a full-blown cover-up of an incompetent candidate in Harris, substantially motivated by commercial gain and rabid partisanship.”On Wednesday, CBS News published the full transcript and unedited video of the Democratic presidential candidate after pressure from the Federal Communications Commission. Network brass has claimed that there was nothing untoward about the interview and previously refused to make the interview transcripts public.They finally relented after Mr. Trump’s new FCC commissioner, Brendan Carr, said making the footage public would “serve the public interest” and give the public a “chance to weigh in.”CBS News defended the unedited footage, stating that the transcript and videos “show — consistent with 60 Minutes’ repeated assurances to the public — that the 60 Minutes broadcast was not doctored or deceitful.“In reporting the news, journalists regularly edit interviews — for time, space or clarity,” network officials said in a statement. “In making these edits, 60 Minutes is always guided by the truth and what we believe will be most informative to the viewing public — all while working within the constraints of broadcast television.”CBS has already responded to Mr. Trump’s latest legal claims, saying that both the Lanham Act and the Texas statute only apply to commercial speech and not editorial or political speech. “There can be no serious argument that President Trump’s claim arises out of commercial speech,” the company’s lawyers wrote in a motion to dismiss.Despite its opposition to the claims, parent company Paramount Global is reportedly considering a potential settlement with Mr. Trump.

Trump Doubles Down on CBS Lawsuit, Now Seeking $20 Billion

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