CBS Evening News host Tony Dokoupil interviewed President Donald Trump on January 13 at a Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan. In the exclusive one-on-one interview, Trump issued warnings to Iran, discussed the economy and inflation, continued his attacks on former President Joe Biden, and defended the ICE agent who killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
“Americans woke up this morning, and they saw that you said, ‘Help is on the way.’ What did you mean by that?” asked Dokoupil at the beginning of his interview.
“Well, there’s a lot of help on the way and in different forms, including economic help from our standpoint, and we’re not gonna help Iran very much. And, you know, we put Iran out of business with their nuclear capacity, and now, depending on what’s actually happening — nobody’s been able to give us accurate numbers about how many people they’ve killed,” responded Trump. “But it looks like it could be a pretty substantial number, and that’s gonna be a lot of problems for them.”
President Trump shared a warning for Iran, called Jerome Powell a “lousy Fed chairman” and defended the ICE agent who killed Renee Good in Minneapolis during an exclusive interview Tuesday with “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil. Read the full transcript of their…
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 14, 2026
When probing Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters and reports that authorities might execute demonstrators, Dokoupil asked whether Tehran had “crossed the red line, or has the line moved” during the interview.
“I haven’t heard about the hanging. If they hang ’em, you’re gonna see some things that — I don’t know what you’re — where you come from and what your thought process is, but you’ll perhaps be very happy,” replied Trump. “We will take very strong action. If they do such a thing, we will take very strong action.”
“And this strong action you’re talking about, what’s the endgame?” asked Dokoupil.
“The endgame is to win. I like winning. And we’re winning,” responded Trump.
When asked about voters’ concerns regarding the economy and that Trump’s focus might be “drifting,” Trump stated, “We have the strongest economy, maybe in the history of our country.”
Talking over Dokoupil, Trump claimed, “There’s no inflation. You saw the inflation numbers have — inflation’s very low. Wait a minute. Our growth numbers are through the roof. Our job numbers are tremendous. We have the highest stock market we’ve ever had.” He then insisted that money from foreign interests ultimately benefits America.
Trump then stated that he “ended eight wars.” “If we had those eight wars raging, it would be very bad for this country.”
After airing his grievances with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell — whom he called “either corrupt or incompetent” — Trump was asked whether his fight against Powell amounted to political retribution. He replied, “I can’t help what it looks like. I’ve created the greatest economy, maybe in history. You’re seeing that now. Plants are being built all over the country.”
“I also freed up some of the environmental nonsense, which made it vitually impossible to build a car, certainly to build a car for the right cost.”
Regarding the killing of mother Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, Dokoupil said he spoke to her father, a Trump supporter who said he is “heartbroken” that the Trump administration labeled his daughter a domestic terrorist — Dokoupil asked, “What do you want to say to her father right now?”
“I want to say to the father that I love all of the people,” said Trump. “I would bet you that she, under normal circumstances, was a very solid, wonderful person. But, you know, her actions were pretty tough. And I’ve seen it many ways and many different shapes and forms. But the bottom line is, look, we have hundreds of thousands of murderers in our countries, killers. ICE is trying to get them out. “
“When you look at that tape, it can be viewed two ways, I guess,” said the president. “But when you look at the way that car was pulled away, there were a couple of versions of that tape that are very, very bad.”
During the interview, Trump also claimed that the anchor probably wouldn’t have a job if Kamala Harris had won the presidential election and helped with the economy. ” You wouldn’t have a job right now. If she got in, you probably wouldn’t have a job right now.”
The interview received a strong reaction from viewers, who took to social media to voice their opinions.
“There was some doubt about Bari Weiss making Tony Dokoupil CBS Evening News anchor. But seeing his subservient Trump interview, with only softball questions and no followups, I’d say he is absolutely living up to the standards of modern mainstream media,” wrote one person on X.
“CBS ‘news,’ please. @bariweiss has destroyed any credibility you had,” wrote another.
“Tony sucks and Bari has turned you guys into a punchline,” stated a viewer.
One X user wrote: “CBS is state TV. How embarrassing for you @tonydokoupil.”
“Trump played you like a fiddle,” posted another.
But not all takes were negative. “Tony, you are doing a wonderful job, considering the hate you are getting just because people dislike CBS. Keep trucking along!! I have always found you to be very genuine & fair in your reporting. It’s hard to interview Trump, he will ramble & talk over you. Great job!!” wrote one audience member.
While some viewers defended the interview, many argued that Dokoupil’s soft questions and lack of follow-up weakened it. Others criticized the segment for consuming most of the CBS Evening News broadcast.
“I’ve watched CBS Evening News for 30 yrs. This show really surprised me. There wasn’t any other news. Only this interview with Trump. Why? No other news to talk about? Just giving Trump more time to spout his propaganda. Won’t be watching CBS,” stated another.
The interview with Trump occurred after Dokoupil faced a rocky first week on the job amid technical difficulties and other criticisms. Dokoupil’s move from CBS Mornings to CBS Evening News came after several shake-ups at CBS News, including the hiring of The Free Press co-founder Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief in October. He made his official debut on January 5 from the show’s New York studios before kicking off his “Live From America” tour.
CBS Evening News With Tony Dokoupil, Weeknights, 6:30/5:30c, CBS
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