Recently appointed CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil found himself in the hot seat after allegedly conceding to demands from President Trump under the threat of legal action by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Dokoupil, 45, who stepped into the role earlier this year, has faced criticism for reportedly taking a gentler approach in covering the president. His tenure has been marked by controversies, with this latest incident adding fuel to the fire.
In the aftermath of an interview with Trump last week, Leavitt reportedly insisted that the entire 13-minute conversation be aired without edits, warning that failure to comply would result in legal action against the network.
According to a recording acquired by the New York Times, Leavitt delivered the ultimatum post-interview, instructing Dokoupil and his team to ensure the complete broadcast of the interview. She conveyed Trump’s directive: “Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full.”
Dokoupil responded affirmatively, saying, “Yeah, we’re doing it, yeah,” as noted in the report.
Leavitt further emphasized, “He said, ‘If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your a** off,’” underscoring the seriousness of the demand.
Kim Harvey, the executive producer of CBS Evening News, reportedly responded excitedly and agreed to air the interview in full.
The exchange offers a candid look into Trump’s efforts to influence media coverage in his second term, with the White House having previously sued a number of news organizations including the New York Times, the BBC and CBS News.
Earlier this year, Dokoupil’s employer CBS agreed to pay a $16 million settlement to Trump to settle a case over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 election.
Karoline Leavitt, pictured about with President Trump last July, reportedly threatened CBS with a lawsuit if they didn’t air the president’s full interview
Tony Dokoupil, pictured above during his first broadcast as Evening News anchor on January 7, reportedly laughed off the threat and caved to the president’s demands
CBS aired the full 13-minute interview with Trump at an assembly line last week, pictured above
Following his interview with Trump last week, Dokoupil reportedly laughed off the threat of a lawsuit from Leavitt, joking: ‘He always says that!’
However, Leavitt hadn’t appeared to be joking and didn’t laugh, the report claimed.
‘The American people deserve to watch President Trump’s full interviews, unedited, no cuts. And guess what? The interview ran in full,’ she told the New York Times.
The network did air Trump’s unedited interview, adding in a statement to the Daily Mail: ‘The moment we booked this interview we made the independent decision to air it unedited and in its entirety.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.
The 13-minute interview aired from an assembly line in Michigan, and saw Dokoupil grill Trump on a wide-range of issues including Iran, the economy, the investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, the killing of Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent, and the president’s own morality.
Trump defended the administration’s actions abroad and maintained the federal government’s position that Good was justifiably shot.
During a discussion about grocery prices and the economy, Trump suggested that Dokoupil would be out of a job if Kamala Harris won the 2024 election.
Dokoupil breezed past the insinuation, but defended himself at the end of the interview, telling Trump: ‘For the record, I do think I’d have this job even if the other guys won.’
‘Yeah, but at a lesser salary. Thank you very much,’ Trump quipped.
Leavitt, pictured above in the briefing room on Thursday, reportedly didn’t laugh after threatening to ‘sue your a** off’ to CBS executives
Trump, pictured at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, has had a controversial relationship with the network after suing CBS in 2024
CBS News has a complicated history with the president. Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the network in 2024 for airing an edited interview with Harris.
CBS’s parent company, Paramount, settled the lawsuit last July for $16 million. Just a few weeks later, the Federal Communications Commission approved MAGA allies Larry and David Ellison’s purchase of the media company.
The acquisition then saw David Ellison tap controversial news figure Bari Weiss as CBS News’ editor-in-chief in October.
The network has since experienced massive changes, with anchor shakeups, sensational resignations, and a highly scrutinized decision from Weiss to pull a 60 Minutes segment on the CECOT confinement center in El Salvador.
Critics accused Weiss and the network of pulling the segment because it was critical of Trump’s policies.
Sources recently told The Independent that Weiss and Trump kissed each other on the cheek after the president sat down for an interview with 60 Minutes anchor Norah O’Donnell in November.
‘He was so happy to see her and she was so excited to meet him, they both leaned in and exchanged kisses on the cheek,’ one source told the outlet.
David Ellison, pictured above with his billionaire father Larry, purchased Paramount last July
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, pictured above in 2022, has been at the center of backlash from critics who believe the network has caved to Trump under her leadership
Another source told The Independent that other reporters and producers in the room were shocked by the chummy exchange.
In response to the report, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung shared a photo on X of CBS producers laughing with Trump.
‘Here are the other 60 Minutes executives who were having a great time with President Trump, laughing at his jokes,’ Cheung said.
Leavitt’s threat to sue CBS isn’t unprecedented. In addition to Trump’s former lawsuit with the network, ABC News also settled a lawsuit with him for $16 million over a mistake anchor George Stephanopoulos made while reporting on the president’s sexual abuse trial.
