By The White House issued a blunt warning to CBS News following President Donald Trump’s recent sit-down interview with “CBS Evening News,” underscoring the continuing strain between the administration and major media outlets over editorial control and presentation.
According to an audio recording obtained by The New York Times, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confronted CBS staff immediately after Trump concluded a 13-minute taped interview Tuesday in Michigan with anchor Tony Dokoupil. The message, she said, came directly from the president: the interview was to air in full, without edits.
Leavitt approached Dokoupil and other members of the CBS team as soon as the cameras stopped rolling. Relaying Trump’s instructions, she quoted him as saying, “Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full.”
When Dokoupil responded that the network planned to air the interview unedited, Leavitt escalated the warning. “He said, ‘If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your ass off,’” she said, according to the recording.
The exchange, captured on audio, drew mixed reactions from CBS personnel. Some appeared uncertain whether the comment was meant as a serious legal threat or characteristic Trump bravado. Dokoupil replied casually that Trump “always says that,” while executive producer Kim Harvey was heard responding, “Oh, great, OK!”
Leavitt, however, did not join in the levity. According to those present, she maintained a firm, matter-of-fact tone throughout the brief interaction.
The interview ultimately aired in full on the “CBS Evening News” later that same evening. CBS News has emphasized that the decision to broadcast the segment without edits was made well before Leavitt’s post-interview comments and was not influenced by them. A network spokesperson said CBS had committed to running the interview uncut at the time it was booked.
Leavitt later confirmed the substance of the exchange, framing it as a matter of transparency rather than intimidation. “The American people deserve to watch President Trump’s full interviews, unedited, no cuts. And guess what? The interview ran in full,” she said.
The episode arrives with recent history as its backdrop. In 2024, Trump sued CBS over the network’s handling of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, alleging deceptive editing. That lawsuit was resolved when CBS’s parent company at the time, Paramount, agreed to a $16 million settlement.
The settlement continues to reverberate within media circles, particularly as CBS has undergone leadership changes in recent years aimed at rebuilding public trust. Critics and defenders alike have questioned whether major news organizations now face heightened legal and political pressure when covering the current administration.
The Michigan interview itself included moments that reflected the president’s combative relationship with the press. At one point, Trump told Dokoupil that the anchor “wouldn’t have a job right now” if Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election. Dokoupil pushed back, responding that he believed his position would remain secure regardless of the election’s outcome.
Taken together, the encounter illustrates a familiar dynamic of the Trump presidency: aggressive insistence on control over liberal media narratives, paired with open confrontation when necessary. While CBS ultimately aired the interview exactly as requested, the warning delivered afterward served as a reminder of that Republicans will no longer be pushed around by liberal interviewers who have proven themselves incapable of being fair and honest.
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