The White House warned CBS News to air President Trump's full interview conducted on Tuesday, threatening legal action if the network edited the footage, according to multiple news sources. The demand was delivered by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shortly after Trump concluded a 13-minute taping with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil in Michigan.

According to a recording obtained by The New York Times, Leavitt approached Dokoupil and his colleagues stating, "Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full." Dokoupil responded, "Yeah, we’re doing it, yeah." Leavitt then added, "He said, If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your ass off."

The incident highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and the media, raising concerns about potential legal challenges to media autonomy in presenting political interviews. The White House's demand echoes a prior successful $16 million settlement Trump secured from Paramount (CBS's parent company) regarding the editing of a 2024 "60 Minutes" interview with Kamala Harris, Variety reported.

The previous lawsuit stemmed from Trump's claim that Paramount edited the interview in a way that negatively portrayed him. This history adds context to the current threat and raises questions about the influence of AI-driven content manipulation in shaping public perception of political figures, according to Variety.

The current status of the interview and CBS's plans for its broadcast remain unclear. The incident underscores the uneasy business of conducting journalism in the current political climate, as noted by The New York Times. The threat of a lawsuit raises concerns about media autonomy and the potential for legal challenges to influence news coverage.