A medical emergency involving a CBS News camera operator disrupted the live broadcast of President Trump’s visit to China. The unexpected incident occurred on the first night of the broadcaster’s coverage of the presidential trip to Beijing.
While anchoring the segment, Tony Dokoupil was momentarily taken aback when audible commotion arose from behind the camera. Reacting swiftly to the situation, Dokoupil deviated from the script and announced, “Is he okay? We’re going to take a quick break. We have a medical emergency here, we’re calling a doctor.”
Dokoupil is reporting on President Trump’s journey, which includes a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Taipei, after being denied a visa to enter mainland China.
Insiders revealed to Semafor that discussions took place during a planning call on Wednesday, where strategies were made for Dokoupil to report from Taiwan’s capital.
Dokoupil is covering the latest on Trump’s trip to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Taipei after being denied a Chinese visa.
Divided Teams
A source told Semafor that during a planning call on Wednesday plans were discussed about Dokoupil broadcasting from the Taiwanese capital.
Another insider told Semafor that CBS had two correspondents who would be traveling with Trump to China.
They said that Dokoupil being in Taipei highlighted how important the island is to the summit.
Starting his coverage, Dokoupil said him being in Taiwan was the first time that CBS had ever reported from the island, just 100 miles off the coast of China.
He also highlighted how White House Correspondent Weijia Jiang and Anna Coren, the broadcasters Hong Kong correspondent, were both in Beijing.
Losing the Demo
In contrast, NBC News’ Tom Llamas will be anchoring their coverage from Beijing, with ABC’s David Muir also to be posted up in the Chinese capital.
The setback for the broadcaster comes after the Evening News shot hit a new low one month after suffering its worst viewing figures in a century.
Last month, Dokoupil’s evening show recorded the lowest engagement statistics since he took over the broadcast, averaging just 3.7 million views per night, according to Nielsen data obtained by Status.
In the coveted 25-54 age demographic, which Weiss has been keen to attract, the show averaged only 467,000 people tuning in.
Dokopil’s broadcast has now posted 12 weeks in a row below 600,000 viewers in this demographic, showing that millennials and Generation X alike are turning away.
The Ellison Merger Looming
Through 2026 as a whole, CBS Evening News has been reeling in an average 4.3 million viewers per night, down seven percent from last year and marking the lowest ratings this century.
Weiss elevated CBS Mornings host Dokoupil, 54, to the Evening News anchor chair position in early January, right around where the ratings start.
One television executive told Status that CBS News is a ‘sinking ship.’
‘It’s clear they have no idea what they are doing – and one has to wonder what will be left of CBS News once the merger goes through and the Ellisons are done having to placate [Donald] Trump,’ they added.
By contrast to Dokoupil’s show, major competitors including ABC’s David Muir and NBC Nightly News’ Tom Llamas are commanding almost double the viewership.
The Demo King
Muir is currently drawing in 8.7 million total viewers, including 1.1 million audience members in the 25-54 age bracket, making his evening show the most popular.
‘CBS has now become a NASCAR event with people just watching to see the cars crash – Bari Weiss has effectively removed all value from the once-enviable brand,’ one industry insider told the Daily Mail in March.
‘Given CBS Sports is seeing record highs – there’s no question the ratings problem at CBS is entirely Bari’s making.’
Weiss, a former New York Times writer and Free Press founder, who is a fierce critic of modern legacy media, has never headed a major newsroom.
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