Overview
- Audio obtained by The New York Times captures press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling CBS that President Trump would sue if his interview was not aired in full.
- CBS says it had already decided to broadcast the roughly 13-minute exchange with Tony Dokoupil unedited, and the segment aired in full that night.
- Leavitt confirmed relaying the warning and said the public should see Trump’s interviews without cuts.
- Some CBS staff present took Leavitt’s remark as a joke, according to reporting based on people familiar with their thinking.
- The dispute follows Trump’s 2024 lawsuit over a 60 Minutes edit that Paramount settled for $16 million, with subsequent ownership changes and new editorial leadership increasing scrutiny of CBS News.