Tony Dokoupil’s tenure as anchor of the CBS Evening News is off to a rocky start. After an error-filled first night on the job led to widespread criticism of Dokoupil’s inexperience and his conservative boss’s remodeling of the network, the anchor’s second broadcast is now being ripped online as well.
CBS anchor dedicates closing segment to ‘ultimate Florida man,’ Marco Rubio
Dokoupil conducted his Tuesday evening broadcast from Miami as a part of his “Live From America Tour.” Having been on the verge of crying earlier in the segment as he recounted growing up in Miami during part of his rocky childhood, Dokoupil ended the broadcast with an extended praise of another Miami native.
“Finally, tonight, and only in America, the many lives and many jobs of Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a former Florida senator,” Dokoupil said of the current Secretary of State.
“He’s now the face of U.S. foreign policy and President Trump’s point man on Venezuela, all in addition to his roles as secretary of state, interim national security advisor, and acting national archivist, and USAID chief. Whatever you think of his politics, you’ve got to admit, it’s an impressive resume,” Dokoupil boasted of Rubio. He then cheerfully displayed and narrated a series of AI-generated meme images of Rubio that cast him in a variety of other roles, including the “the new Shah of Iran” and “the Prime Minister of Greenland” among other more tongue-in-cheek roles like “the new Michelin Man.” Dokoupil ended his praise by declaring, “Marco Rubio, we salute you. You’re the ultimate Florida man.”
Dokoupil segment called out as ‘disgraceful’ and ‘cringe worthy’
Tuesday’s broadcast follows a similarly derided Monday debut by Dokoupil as an evening news anchor. As Blavity reported, Dokoupil’s first broadcast was criticized for the anchor’s error-filled performance. Criticism also extended to Bari Weiss, the new editor-in-chief of CBS News who came on board after Skydance bought Paramount, becoming Paramount Skydance. She who has shaken up CBS News and pushed it in a noticeably more conservative and Trump-friendly direction. The Tuesday segment, effusively praising a member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet, drew heavy criticism from those critical of CBS News for its apparent right-wing shift in recent months.
“This is so cringe worthy,” Mike Sington posted. “Tony Dokoupil, new CBS Evening News MAGA anchor, devotes entire segment to gushing over Trump minion Marco Rubio.”
“The anchor of the CBS evening news turning what could be a serious story about White House overreach into silly signoff is a journalistic fumble by any measure,” S&P Global editor Jeff Domingues said.
“This is an insane segment to air on the Evening News,” Bruno Beidacki, a journalist who lists CBS News among his bylines, shared. “This is no longer the CBS News I used to work for. Embarrassing stuff.”
“SNL parody levels here. Disgraceful,” sportscaster Jon Alba said.
Dokoupil’s appointment as anchor and his friendliness toward Trump officials like Rubio have been viewed as part of this conservative rebrand for CBS. For the second day in a row, the anchor has only added fuel to the criticism that his network is sacrificing its integrity to appease the Trump administration.