On Tuesday, President Trump taped an interview with CBS News. Moments after it concluded, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recorded a warning for CBS News, demanding they air the full, unedited 13-minute interview—or face legal action.
Leavitt stated that President Trump told CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil and his team: “Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full. If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your a$$ off.”
CBS News aired the unedited interview that evening, confirming they had planned to do so from the outset. In a statement Saturday, CBS News said: “The moment we booked this interview, we made the independent decision to air it unedited and in its entirety.”
Leavitt, when reached for comment, stated: “The American people deserve to watch President Trump’s full interviews, unedited, no cuts. And guess what? The interview ran in full.”
The New York Times was first to obtain the recording of Leavitt’s warning to CBS News about editing the interview.
In 2024, Trump sued CBS News after the network edited a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris to make her appear more favorable, resulting in a $16 million settlement.
