January 14, 2026

Donald Trump has been on a media tour. Last week, he granted a two-hour-long interview to the New York Times. Last night was Tony Dokoupil’s turn. Dokoupil’s short tenure as host of the CBS Evening News has been marred by technical flubs and cringeworthy attempts to subtly cheerlead for the administration.

Both problems were on display during last night’s presidential interview. The two men looked awkward standing together, and the loud noise of the assembly line in the background was distracting.

“A little bit loud,” Dokoupil began, before adding, “An incredible symbol of American manufacturing power.” That more or less set the tone for the next 13 long minutes.

Prior to the interview, Dokoupil promised, “We ask about everything.” It turned out, however, that “everything” did not include any questions about Trump’s ongoing attacks on free and fair elections.

Earlier in the day, Trump went on a lying spree before a Michigan audience, falsely claiming that he had won the popular vote in all three of his elections, that he had won Michigan in 2020, and that failed GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers had, in fact, won his 2024 Senate race. He also accused Democrats of cheating.

All of these claims were obvious lies. Dokoupil did not ask about any of them.

Nor did he follow up on Trump’s statement last week that he should have used the National Guard to “seize election boxes” in 2020. With the midterm elections just 10 months away, one might think this would be a relevant line of questioning — particularly to determine whether Trump intends to seize ballots in the future.

You might also expect a new anchor eager to prove his mettle to ask Trump about his repeated claims to ban mail-in voting and certain voting equipment. Or at least to ask why Trump believes states act as his agents in the tabulation and counting of ballots, when the Constitution clearly says otherwise.

While Dokoupil made passing references to the Department of Justice, he did not ask why the DOJ is attempting to assemble a national database of every registered voter in the country. Nor did he raise the fact that the department’s voting section is now suing 23 states, plus Washington, D.C., that have refused to turn over this data.

Finally, Dokoupil did not inquire about Trump’s campaign to pressure Republican legislatures to redraw congressional maps in an effort to rig the outcome of the midterms. And as the nation awaits a Supreme Court decision that could allow Southern states to undo Black opportunity districts, there was no question about the administration’s various attacks — including in that case — on the last remaining provisions of the Voting Rights Act.

Instead, Dokoupil stuck to safer subjects. Even then, he repeatedly found himself agreeing with or affirming Trump — often by simply saying “yeah” in response to Trump’s falsehoods. Here is a typical exchange from CBS’s official transcript:

TONY DOKOUPIL: Mr. President, I'm just trying to be fair here, I'm just trying to do my job, and I wanna talk about this assembly line here. (UNINTEL)—

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: To me it's vibrant. Listen to the sound.

TONY DOKOUPIL: It's incredible, right?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I love the sound of an assembly line.

TONY DOKOUPIL: It's incredible. But they've got one not far from here, they just idled the electric vehicle plant.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, yeah. But it's going to-- it's going to gasoline vehicles.

TONY DOKOUPIL: Yeah, it's gonna go to gasoline.

Not exactly hard-hitting journalism.

From the perspective of CBS News management, the omission of any discussion of voter suppression or election denialism was likely welcome. The network’s new owners are currently seeking to acquire Warner Bros., and their close relationship with Trump is being framed as an asset.

Asking about voting rights and election integrity would place the network in an unwinnable position. Correct Trump’s misinformation and risk enraging him — or allow him to spread lies and watch Dokoupil’s already strained credibility evaporate.

So, the safest course for the new anchor was simply to behave as though the midterm elections and Trump’s history as an election denier do not exist. Better to talk about robots than to risk a confrontation with the thin-skinned autocrat.

Ironically, the most confrontational moments of the interview came courtesy of Trump himself. Several times, he confidently told Dokoupil that he “wouldn’t have this job” if Trump hadn’t won the 2024 election. At first, Dokoupil ignored the remark, but his discomfort with the implication was visible.

At the very end of the interview, Dokoupil finally pushed back: “For the record, I do think I’d have this job even if the other guys won.” By then, the interview was over, and there was little risk that Trump would object. He simply replied, “Yeah, but at a lesser salary.”

It was the only moment in the entire interview when Dokoupil directly challenged or corrected Trump.