Former US President Donald Trump used a high-profile television interview to launch a pointed attack on the media, suggesting a prominent news anchor owes his career to Trump's own electoral success.
A Contentious Exchange on Employment and Power
During a sit-down with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil on Tuesday, Trump claimed Dokoupil would not have his current role if Kamala Harris had won the 2024 presidential election. The interview was conducted at a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan.
"A year and a half ago, our country was dead," Trump argued. "We had a dead country. You wouldn't have a job right now. If she got in, you probably wouldn't have a job right now… You wouldn't have this job, certainly whatever the hell they're paying you."
At the conclusion of the interview, Dokoupil offered a mild rebuttal, stating, "For the record, I do think I'd have this job even if the other guys won." Trump quickly retorted, "Yeah, but at a lesser salary." According to sources familiar with the broadcast, Trump then called Dokoupil a "wise guy," though that remark was not aired.
The Ellison Influence and a Network in Transition
The backdrop to this spat is a period of significant change for CBS News. The network is now controlled by the family of Larry Ellison, the billionaire friend of Trump, following last year's takeover of parent company Paramount Global.
David Ellison, Larry's son and CEO of Paramount Skydance, appointed heterodox writer Bari Weiss to shake up CBS News. One of Weiss's first major moves as editor-in-chief was to name the 45-year-old Dokoupil as anchor of the Evening News, making him a new face of the network. His performance is seen as crucial to Weiss's tenure.
Trump also commented on David Ellison's position, noting the executive's ambitious bid to acquire Warner Bros Discovery. "Your boss, who is an amazing guy, might be bust," Trump told Dokoupil, suggesting Ellison's fortunes were also tied to the election outcome.
Scrutiny Over Editing and a Litigious History
CBS News has faced ongoing scrutiny over its editing of interviews with major political figures. The network edited down this latest Trump conversation, as is standard practice, but has a recent history of controversy in this area.
Most notably, the handling of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Harris in October 2024 led to a major lawsuit from Trump. CBS ultimately settled, agreeing to pay $16m, shortly before the Ellisons gained regulatory approval for the Paramount takeover. Many legal experts had dismissed the suit as meritless.
The issue was even referenced at the Golden Globes, where host Nikki Glaser joked that "the award for most editing goes to … CBS News."
For Dokoupil, the Trump interview was a key booking during a challenging launch period for the third-place evening news show. He had previously faced scrutiny for interviews with Trump administration figures like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and border "czar" Tom Homan.
In a sign of the divisive climate, Dokoupil ended the broadcast by directly addressing critics. "You may not agree with everything you hear on this broadcast," he said, "but we trust you to listen, and we trust you to decide for yourself."
