CBS CEO Resigns Amid Conflict with Trump

Wendy McMahon, CEO of CBS News, is stepping down from her position amid a legal dispute between President Donald Trump and CBS.

According to CNBC and other outlets on May 19 (local time), CEO McMahon informed employees of her resignation in a memo, stating, "The past few months have been challenging. It has become clear that the company and I do not agree on the direction moving forward."

Wendy McMahon CBS CEO. Reuters Yonhap News

In connection with this, CNBC reported, citing anonymous internal sources, that George Cheeks, co-CEO of Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, requested McMahon's resignation on May 16.

Previously, on April 22, Bill Owens, executive producer of CBS's flagship current affairs program "60 Minutes," also announced his resignation, marking a series of high-level departures at CBS. "60 Minutes" interviewed former Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democratic rival to President Trump during last year's presidential election. President Trump filed a $20 billion lawsuit, claiming the broadcast manipulated content by deleting remarks unfavorable to Vice President Harris. More recently, after CBS aired content related to President Trump's attempt to acquire Greenland, he continued his offensive by threatening to revoke CBS's license.

American legal experts believe Paramount has a high likelihood of winning if the case goes to trial. However, as Paramount awaits Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for a merger with Skydance, Paramount Chair Shari Redstone is reportedly eager to resolve the conflict with President Trump quickly and secure FCC approval for the merger.

Meanwhile, President Trump has maintained a tense relationship with media outlets critical of him during both his first and second terms. Some have criticized this as an attempt to control the press. In February, after the Associated Press (AP) refused to comply with an executive order to refer to the "Gulf of Mexico" as the "American Gulf," AP reporters were banned from coverage. He also signed executive orders halting government funding for public radio NPR and public television PBS, citing unfair reporting. In contrast, he has provided generous support to the conservative outlet Fox News, which is favorable to him, including granting his first exclusive interview after inauguration and a joint interview opportunity with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.