President Trump gave CBS News an ultimatum after his interview with new Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil. He told the network to air the complete 13-minute segment or face a lawsuit. The network ended up airing the full interview.
According to Deadline, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered Trump’s message to Dokoupil and his team this week. She quoted the president, saying, “Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full.” She added that “if it is not out in full, we will sue your a— off.” Dokoupil said, “He always says that.”
A CBS spokesperson later said the network made its own choice to air the unedited interview. The spokesperson stated, “The moment we booked this interview we made the independent decision to air it unedited and in its entirety.”
The network had good reason to take Trump’s warning seriously
CBS took the threat seriously because Trump has sued news outlets before over content he didn’t like. Last year, he filed a lawsuit against the network over how 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris. Legal experts and the network’s lawyers said the case had no merit, but Paramount settled for $16 million.
Paramount paid the huge settlement because it was seeking approval for its merger with Skydance. The company needed the FCC to approve the deal. Skydance agreed to hire an ombudsman to handle complaints about news programming. They brought in Kenneth Weinstein, who used to lead the Hudson Institute, for that role.
The new owners, led by CEO David Ellison, also hired Bari Weiss as the news division’s editor in chief. Weiss founded the center-right site The Free Press. These changes have put extra pressure on Dokoupil as he starts his new role as anchor. Meanwhile, Trump has been busy with other controversial decisions, including his move to pardon a former Puerto Rico governor.
During the Detroit interview on Tuesday, Dokoupil faced criticism for not challenging some of Trump’s statements. Trump claimed there was “no inflation.” Dokoupil didn’t directly correct him but said that Americans he talks to “don’t feel it.” The president has been making bold foreign policy moves as well, recently demanding Hamas surrender all weapons.
The two also had a lighthearted exchange about the economy. Trump told Dokoupil that if Harris had won, “You wouldn’t have this job, certainly, whatever the h— they are paying you.” Dokoupil replied that he thought he’d “have this job even if the other guy won.” Trump quickly said, “Yeah, but at a lesser salary.”
Published: Jan 18, 2026 02:45 pm