Steve Kroft says Trump 'finally got his wish' as CBS reshapes '60 Minutes'

WASHINGTON, DC: Former ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent Steve Kroft said President Donald Trump “finally got his wish” as CBS reshaped the flagship news program following years of public clashes, lawsuits, and internal editorial disputes.

Kroft, who retired from ‘60 Minutes’ in 2019 after three decades with the show, told 'Status' in an interview that he never expected the program to reach its current state. “But I never expected it would be executed by the president of the United States,” he said.

Steve Kroft links Trump to shakeup

Kroft connected the recent turmoil at ‘60 Minutes’ to Trump’s yearslong disputes with the program as leadership changed at CBS News and parent company Paramount Global.

“There is no smoking gun,” Kroft said. “But [Trump’s] fingerprints and DNA are all over this. He’s been making threats against ‘60 Minutes’ and how he wanted it gone. And he finally got his wish.”

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on February 26, 2025, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

His remarks came days after CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss announced major changes at the network. ‘60 Minutes’ executive producer Tanya Simon was replaced by tech journalist Nick Bilton, while executive producer Draggan Mihailovich and correspondents Cecilia Vega and Sharyn Alfonsi also exited the program.

CBS brought Weiss into the newsroom last October despite her lack of broadcast experience. Paramount later acquired her media outlet, The Free Press, in a reported $150 million deal.

The moves fueled debate inside and outside CBS over the network’s editorial direction, especially after several high-profile disputes tied to Trump coverage.

Paramount settlement drew scrutiny

Questions around the network intensified after Paramount agreed to pay Trump $16 million last year to settle his lawsuit over a ‘60 Minutes’ interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump alleged CBS deceptively edited the interview to benefit Harris ahead of the 2024 election. Paramount settled the case without apologizing or admitting wrongdoing and said the money would go toward Trump’s future presidential library.

A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team called the settlement a “win for the American people” over the “fake news media”.

“CBS and Paramount Global realised the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle,” the spokesperson said. “President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American people.”

CBS had earlier called the lawsuit “completely without merit” and maintained the interview was “not doctored or deceitful”.

Several CBS News executives, including chief executive Wendy McMahon, had reportedly left over disagreements tied to the handling of Trump’s lawsuit.

Editorial fights inside CBS

The tensions continued inside the newsroom. In December, Weiss pulled a ‘60 Minutes’ segment about a prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration had been sending Venezuelan migrants just hours before it was scheduled to air. Alfonsi, who reported the piece, argued the decision was “political” and not “editorial.”

Weiss was also reportedly angered by Anderson Cooper’s farewell remarks to ‘60 Minutes’ after the longtime correspondent defended the program’s “independence” on air.

Trump’s public clashes with the show have continued as well. During a recent interview with correspondent Norah O’Donnell, Trump erupted after she read part of an alleged gunman’s manifesto aloud.

“You’re horrible people,” Trump told her. “You’re a disgrace.”