Overview
- Audio obtained by The New York Times records press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling CBS staff that President Trump wanted the interview aired in full or he would “sue your ass off.”
- The exchange occurred after a 13-minute sit-down with Tony Dokoupil at a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan, which CBS broadcast in full that evening.
- CBS said it had already decided to run the segment unedited, with a network statement stressing the choice was made independently from the White House warning.
- On the recording, Dokoupil replied, “Yeah, we’re doing it, yeah,” executive producer Kim Harvey said, “Oh, great, OK!,” and some CBS personnel later described Leavitt’s tone as possibly in jest.
- The episode follows Paramount’s 2024 $16 million settlement of Trump’s suit over a 60 Minutes edit and comes as CBS faces heightened scrutiny under new ownership and editorial leadership.