US President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused CBS, the American television and radio broadcaster, of airing an interview with Kamala Harris which he said was “unlawfully fixed, manipulated, and doctored”.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the interview with Kamala Harris was “worse than expected” and made the former US vice-president appear “at least somewhat coherent”.

Trump was referring to a “60 Minutes” interview with his 2024 election rival Harris, which he said was aired just before the election day and “deep into early voting”.

What has Trump accused the CBS of?

In his post on Truth Social, Trump said Harris’s answers were “unlawfully fixed, manipulated, and doctored throughout by CBS, in order to try and make Kamala appear at least somewhat coherent.”

He also accused CBS and media giant Paramount of hiding the full transcript of the interview which he said they “refused to release” until after he was sworn-in. He called the transcript as “fake, corrupt, and anti-Trump propaganda”.

“The full transcript, which 60 Minutes, CBS News, and Paramount tried to hide from the American People, and refused to release until after I was already Inaugurated, and they were ordered to do so by the Federal Communications Commission, shows that the “interview” was nothing but fake, corrupt, anti-Trump propaganda.

Trump has also accused the CBS News of airing two different snippets from the same answer the then vice-president gave about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to help her in her election campaign, an AFP report said.

The Republican billionaire – who is seeking at least $20 billion in damages – sued last October, alleging that the interview violated a Texas consumer protection law, the report added.

US senators urge Paramount not to cave

US senators urged media giant Paramount on Wednesday not to settle Trump’s lawsuit against its news division, accusing the president of attacking free speech.

According to the AFP report, “In a letter to Paramount owner Shari Redstone, independent former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and eight Democrats said the suit against CBS News had “absolutely no merit.”

“In the United States of America, presidents do not get to punish or censor the media for criticising them,” they wrote.

“Freedom of the press is what sets us apart from tin pot dictatorships and authoritarian regimes,” the report said.

The network didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment but has denied any wrongdoing, it added.

(With inputs from agencies)