‘You wouldn’t have a job right now’: Trump tells CBS anchor what would’ve happened if Kamala Harris had won the election

President Donald Trump made a bold claim during his recent interview with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil. He told the host he wouldn’t have his current job if Kamala Harris had won the 2024 presidential election. The interview took place at a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan.

During the conversation, Trump argued the country was struggling a year and a half ago. “A year and a half ago, our country was dead,” he said. “We had a dead country. You wouldn’t have a job right now.” He added that Dokoupil wouldn’t have his current position, “whatever the hell they’re paying you.”

According to The Guardian, Dokoupil pushed back at the end of the broadcast. “For the record, I do think I’d have this job even if the other guys won,” the anchor said. Trump quickly responded: “Yeah, but at a lesser salary.” According to sources, the president then called the anchor a “wise guy,” but that comment didn’t make it to air.

CBS’s new ownership raises questions about editorial independence

The interview comes as CBS operates under new corporate control. The network is now owned by the family of Larry Ellison, who is known to be friends with Trump. This happened after the takeover of Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, last year.

David Ellison, Larry’s son and chief executive of Paramount Skydance, is trying to expand his media empire. He’s currently making a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros Discovery. Trump mentioned David Ellison during the interview, saying that if he had lost the election, Dokoupil’s boss, “who is an amazing guy, might be bust.” The president has previously warned about a looming financial crisis if things don’t go his way.

Dokoupil’s start was rough. He was supposed to begin on January 5, but came on air two days earlier to cover the US incursion into Venezuela. This interview with Trump is important for Dokoupil, especially after he faced criticism last week for his interviews with Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on January 4 and border czar Tom Homan on January 7.

CBS News has dealt with controversy over editing choices recently. The network settled a $16 million lawsuit with Trump over their handling of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Harris in October 2024. Legal experts called the lawsuit “meritless” and unlikely to succeed under the First Amendment, but CBS paid just before the Ellisons got regulatory approval for their Paramount takeover.

The network also edited a 60 Minutes interview with Trump by correspondent Norah O’Donnell in November. Weiss recently delayed a 60 Minutes segment about Venezuelans sent to a prison in El Salvador, saying it needed more reporting. Host Nikki Glaser joked about this at the Golden Globes, saying “the award for most editing goes to … CBS News.” Critics have also pointed out how Trump’s economic policies have backfired in recent months.

Trump’s visit to Detroit was perfectly timed for the CBS Evening News, which was already planning to broadcast from the city as part of a cross-country tour. The tour was designed to reintroduce the show and its new host. Dokoupil seemed to address some of the criticism at the end of the broadcast, telling the audience: “You may not agree with everything you hear on this broadcast, but we trust you to listen, and we trust you to decide for yourself.”