White House press secretary warned CBS of lawsuit if Trump interview was edited

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned “CBS Evening News” host Tony Dokoupil that his entire interview with President Donald Trump this week must be aired or the network will have another lawsuit on its hands.

New York Times the resulting sound It’s the moment following Trump’s interview with Dokoupil in Michigan on Tuesday, which included a warning from Leavitt not to cut the tape on behalf of the president.

“He said, ‘Make sure you don’t cut the tape, make sure the entire interview is released,'” Leavitt said, according to the audio recording.

According to the recording obtained by The Times, Dokoupil responded: “Yes, we do, yes.”

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“He said, ‘If it’s not published in full, we’ll sue you,'” Leavitt continued, according to the press.

The Times reported that some CBS employees present believed the remarks were intended as a joke.

Dokoupil responded to Leavitt with humor and said, “He says that all the time!” he said.

“Oh, great, okay!” said “CBS Evening News” executive producer Kim Harvey. he was heard saying.

Tony Dokoupil interviews President Donald Trump on January 13, 2026. (Michael Tessier/CBS News via Getty Images)

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“Once we arranged for this interview, we independently decided to air it unedited and in its entirety,” a CBS News spokesperson said in a statement regarding the report. he said. Interview published literally that night.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “The American people deserve to watch President Trump’s interviews in their entirety, unedited and without interruptions. And guess what? The interview was released in full,” Leavitt told the Times.

Trump successfully sued CBS News over its “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 presidential election. The way CBS edited the interview and aired the footage on two different nights was at the heart of the case; Trump claimed this was election interference.

CBS settled the lawsuit with Trump before parent company Paramount merged with Skydance Media last year.

The president mocked Dokoupil during Tuesday’s interview, saying he wouldn’t have a job if Harris won after the CBS host pressed Trump on why Americans aren’t feeling the benefits of the economy under his administration.

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“Tony, we now have the hottest country in the world. And a year and a half ago, our country was dead. We had a dead country,” Trump told Dokoupil. “You wouldn’t have a job right now. If [Kamala Harris] If you had gone in, you probably wouldn’t have a job right now.”

“Your boss, who is a great guy, might be bankrupt, okay?” Trump said. “Let me tell you, you can’t have this job. You can’t have this job – absolutely no matter how much they pay you. Our country is booming right now. We have the hottest country in the world. If they get in, we’ll be Venezuela on steroids.”

Trump was referring to David Ellison, the new owner of CBS parent company Paramount and the son of billionaire Trump ally Larry Ellison.

President Donald Trump gestures as he walks from Marine One after arriving on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

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As the two wrapped up the interview, Dokoupil scolded the president.

“For the record, I think I’ll take this job even if the others win,” Dokoupil told Trump. The President then responded, “Yes, but with less pay.”

Fox News’ Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.