President Donald Trump launched a scathing attack on CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King on Monday night, declaring her career finished and targeting her with harsh criticism following reports about her uncertain future at the network.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform Monday evening to respond to a New York Post article suggesting King’s position at CBS might be in jeopardy. The President wrote that King’s career is over and she should have maintained her belief in him, adding she lacked the courage to do so. He concluded his post by stating King has “no talent, no ratings, no strength.”
The attack comes amid speculation about King’s future at the network following declining ratings for CBS Mornings and the completion of the Skydance-Paramount merger. According to the New York Post report Trump shared, CBS faces a growing dilemma over King’s multimillion-dollar contract, which expires in May 2026.
Sources quoted in the Post article described CBS Mornings as too progressive for its audience, claiming viewers prefer optimism and cheer over what they characterized as provocative programming. The report specifically cited a recent interview with Bob the Drag Queen, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race and author of a novel about Harriet Tubman, as an example of content that allegedly alienates viewers.
Current ratings data shows CBS Mornings trailing its competitors significantly. During the week of July 21, the show averaged 1.8 million viewers, down 10 percent from two million during the same period last year. This places it behind Good Morning America’s 2.63 million viewers and Today’s 2.3 million viewers. In the key 25-54 demographic, CBS Mornings averaged 287,000 viewers, down 20 percent from 359,000 the previous year.
Trump’s comments follow his recent celebration of CBS’ decision to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which will end in May 2026. The President has claimed credit for Colbert’s cancellation, though CBS cited financial reasons for the decision. Trump previously stated on Truth Social that he absolutely loved Colbert getting fired and suggested other late-night hosts would follow.
The President’s attack on King appears to contradict his claim that she once believed in him. Their relationship has been contentious for years, with King regularly criticizing Trump’s policies and statements. During the 2020 election debates, King questioned Trump’s assertion that he was the least racist person in the room, wondering who else was present and referencing his appeals to white supremacist groups.
In March 2024, King told CNN she felt insulted by Trump’s comments about Black Americans embracing his mugshot, saying his remarks painted the Black community with one brush and implied they had criminal problems. She called his words insulting to people of color.
King further demonstrated her opposition to Trump by speaking at the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, where she declared Kamala Harris uniquely qualified to be President. Following Trump’s January 2025 inauguration, King commented on the lack of diversity among attendees, expressing fascination about why so few people of color were present at the ceremony.
The timing of Trump’s comments coincides with the completion of Paramount’s $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. The Federal Communications Commission approved the merger after Paramount settled Trump’s lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Harris, agreeing to pay $16 million toward his future presidential library. The settlement cleared regulatory hurdles for the merger’s approval.
Anonymous sources quoted in the Post report suggested the new ownership structure under Skydance might be less supportive of what they termed progressive programming. The report claimed CBS Mornings executive producer Shawna Thomas, who is Black like King and co-host Nate Burleson, had resisted efforts by former CBS News president Wendy McMahon to appeal more to middle America.
King, 70, has been with CBS for over a decade after leaving Oprah Winfrey’s OWN network. She remains a prominent figure in morning television, bringing both hard news experience and entertainment interviewing skills to her role. CBS representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment about King’s future or Trump’s statements.
Trump has expanded his criticism beyond CBS to include other late-night hosts, suggesting Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon could be next to lose their positions. He has praised Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld as superior to all network late-night hosts combined.
