white house press secretary Caroline Levitt CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil warned about his interview with the president this week Donald Trump It needs to be aired in its entirety or the network will face another lawsuit.

new york times get audio The moment follows Trump’s interview with Dokupil in Michigan on Tuesday, which included Levitt warning on the president’s behalf against cutting the tape.

“He said, ‘Make sure you don’t cut the tape, make sure you get the full interview,'” Levitt said, according to the audio.

“Yeah, we’re doing that, yeah,” Dokupil responded, according to a recording obtained by The Times.

White House Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt answers questions during a White House press briefing in Washington, DC, December 11, 2025 (Alex Huang/Getty Images)

Trump says US will take ‘very strong action’ against Iran if regime starts hanging protesters

“He said, ‘If it’s not fully released, we’re going to sue you,'” Levitt continued, according to the outlet.

The Times reported that some CBS staffers thought the comments were a joke.

Dokupil humorously responded to Levitt by saying, “He always says that!”

“CBS Nightly News” executive producer Kim Harvey was heard saying, “Oh, great, okay!”

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

Trump says on ’60 Minutes’ it will be ‘difficult’ to send money to New York City if Mandani wins

“We made the independent decision the moment this interview was booked to air it in its entirety without editing,” a CBS News spokesperson said in a statement about the report. The interview has been published The night was complete.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Levitt told The Times, “The American people should watch President Trump’s full interview, unedited, unedited. Guess what? The interview is complete.”

Trump did successfully sue CBS News over the network’s “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 presidential election. CBS’s editing of the interview and how it aired the video on two separate nights are at the center of the lawsuit, which Trump claims was election interference.

CBS settles lawsuit The partnership with Trump preceded parent company Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media last year.

this President teases Dokupil In the interview on Tuesday, the CBS host pressed Trump to explain why Americans are not feeling the benefits of the economy under his leadership and suggested that Harris would not have a job if he won.

Click here for more media and cultural coverage

“Tony, we have the hottest country in the world right now. A year and a half ago, our country was dead. We have a dead country,” Trump told Dokupil. “You don’t have a job now. If (Kamala Harris) comes in, you may not be able to find a job now. “

“Your boss is a great guy, but he could go bankrupt, okay?” Trump said. “Let me tell you — you’re not going to get the job. You’re not going to get the job — certainly no matter how much they pay you. Our country is growing so fast right now. We have the hottest country in the world. If they come in, we’re going to be Venezuela on steroids.”

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

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

Click here to download the Fox News app

As the two men concluded their interview, Dokupil rebuked the president.

“For the record, I do think I would have gotten the job even if someone else had won,” Dokupil told Trump. The president then responded: “Yes, but at a lower salary.”

Fox News’ Joseph Wolfson contributed to this report.