Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary for Donald Trump, reportedly warned CBS News to broadcast a new interview with the former president in full and without edits, or face legal action. The audio exchange, reported by the New York Times, occurred after CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil interviewed Trump.
Key Details
- Trump instructed Leavitt to ensure the interview aired in its entirety.
- Leavitt stated, "If it's not out in full, we'll sue your ass off," to Dokoupil.
- The 13-minute interview segment was broadcast on Tuesday.
Context and Background
This event follows a $16 million payment by CBS's parent company, Paramount, to Trump over editing of an unrelated interview prior to the 2024 election.
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss's tenure has been subject to scrutiny regarding editorial independence. Weiss became editor-in-chief in October and has been accused of favoritism towards the Trump administration.
Paramount Skydance, founded by David Ellison (son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, an associate of Trump), now controls CBS. In October, Paramount Skydance acquired Weiss's Free Press, a conservative media company she established.
Weiss's leadership has been marked by other editorial controversies, including the decision to pull a 60 Minutes segment on Venezuelan men deported by the administration in December. CBS stated a lack of response from the Trump administration influenced this decision.
In July, Paramount settled with Trump for $16 million over editing a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, a rival in the 2024 election. Trump's lawsuit alleged the editing intended to "confuse, deceive, and mislead the public," while CBS maintained edits were for time.
Interview Content and Outcome
In the recent CBS interview, Trump discussed potential US action if Iran executes protesters, referred to Jerome Powell as a "lousy" Federal Reserve chairperson, and defended an ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting in Minneapolis.
CBS aired the full unedited interview later that evening. The company stated on Saturday that the decision to air it unedited was made independently from the outset. Leavitt commented that the American public deserved to watch the full interview and noted that it was broadcast in full.