The Paramount logo. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
Last month, as Shari Redstone’s Paramount Global quietly worked to resolve Donald Trump’s lawsuit over the "60 Minutes" Kamala Harris interview, the president’s legal team made an unexpected request: Why not include public service announcements, promoting causes Trump supports, as part of the deal? The ask, of course, came during a pivotal moment for Paramount—just as it was simultaneously working to gain approval for its Skydance Media merger from the Federal Communications Commission, which finally signed off on the deal Thursday.
The PSA proposal, which has not been previously reported, first surfaced as Trump’s team began to show increasing urgency to settle the case, apparently spooked by a looming court deadline that could have moved the proceedings out of Amarillo, Texas. According to people familiar with the talks, Trump’s team initially demanded a staggering $200 million from Paramount to end the litigation. But that figure began to fall—first to $100 million, then to $49.5 million, notably just days after Skydance boss David Ellison sat ringside with Trump at a UFC event. From there, the ask dropped further to $35 million, and then into the mid-$20 million range.
But things took a turn when..
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