NEWS'Rude' Donald Trump Criticized for Telling CBS Reporter Tony Dokoupil He 'Wouldn't Have a Job' If Kamala Harris Won 2024 Election
Donald Trump insinuated his 2024 election win helped Tony Dokoupil secure his job at CBS.
Jan. 14 2026, Updated 3:48 p.m. ET
Donald Trump made a jab at new reporter Tony Dokoupil straight to his face during a televised CBS News interview on Tuesday, January 13.
While chatting at a Ford plant in Detroit, Mich., the president was boasting about the state of the country and how it compares to what it was in 2024.
'You Wouldn't Have a Job Right Now'
Donald Trump told CBS' Tony Dokoupil he 'wouldn't have a job' if he didn't win the 2024 election.
"Tony, we have now the hottest country in the world, and a year and a half ago, our country was dead. We had a dead country," he declared. "You wouldn’t have a job right now. If she [Kamala Harris] got in, you probably wouldn’t have a job right now."
"Your boss [David Ellison], who’s an amazing guy, might be bust, okay?" Trump added, to which Dokoupil asked, "Might be what?"
Donald Trump Was Criticized Over the Interview
The president claimed the Paramount-Skydance CEO would be broke if Kamala Harris won the election.
"Might be bust. I doubt it in his case, but you never know," the POTUS continued. "Let me just tell you, you wouldn’t have this job, you wouldn’t have this job, certainly whatever the h--- they’re paying you. Our country is rocketing right now. We have the hottest country in the world. If they got in, we would be Venezuela on steroids."
The journalist replied by trying to steer the conversation back to the main topic.
- 'Never Heard of You!': Donald Trump Throws Hissy Fit After Reporter Disagrees With Him in Fiery ABC News Interview
- 10 Highlights From Donald Trump's 3-Hour Interview With Joe Rogan: His Biggest Mistake as President, Aliens, Kamala Harris' IQ and More
- Donald Trump Insults 'Very Aggressive' Female Reporter Who Questioned Him: 'You Have to Be Nice and Easy'
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Tony Dokoupil's interview with Donald Trump aired on Tuesday, January 14.
"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," he said.
On social media, one viewer called Trump's words "stupid," while another penned, "That interview was horrible! Tony never fact checked him & the a------ was so rude! Impeachment asap!!"
Tony Dokoupil Defends His Career
'For the record, I do think I’d have this job if the other guys won,' the journalist stated.
Toward the end of the interview, Dokoupil confidently hit back at his accusation, stating, "For the record, I do think I’d have this job if the other guys won."
"Yeah, but at a lesser salary," countered Trump.
The president was referring to Paramount and Skydance's merger, which was approved under Trump's administration and valued at around $8 million.
Donald Trump Cursed at Ford Plant Worker
The president flipped the bird to a Ford plant worker who called him a 'pedophile protector.'
Before the businessman met up with Dokoupil, he had a viral encounter with a Ford plant employee.
As OK! reported, the staffer allegedly yelled at Trump, "pedophile protector," to which the president responded by yelling, "f--- you" and giving the middle finger.
They were likely referring to the slow release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, some of which contain Trump's name or photos of the POTUS, as he was once friends with the late financier.
