Veteran journalist Katie Couric isn’t backing down from her critiques of President Donald Trump, even as the administration’s targeting of outspoken critics has intensified throughout 2025. The former NBC and CBS anchor, who has emerged as one of the media’s most vocal Trump critics, recently doubled down on her commitment to speaking freely despite being labeled a “has been” by the president himself.
“Donald Trump has called me a ‘has been,'” Couric told The Daily Beast in an interview on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, “but I’m just happy to be a ‘has been’ who can speak her mind. I mean, honey, I’ve been in the tabloids for years…. they’ve accused me of having a threesome with Matt Lauer. There’s a lot I can handle.”
Matt Lauer, who previously co-anchored “The Today Show” alongside Couric, was removed from the program following accusations of sexual misconduct.
Currently, Couric runs her own venture, Katie Couric Media, which she co-launched in 2017. She has pledged to continue speaking out against what she sees as the erosion of numerous societal norms during Trump’s second term as president.
Speaking with the Beast, Couric said she now works as an independent journalist, free from corporate leaders who might try to shape her coverage of current events. She described the experience as incredibly freeing.
The former NBC reporter recounted an incident in which Richard Grenell — chosen by Trump to lead his revamp of the Kennedy Center — criticized her after she described the administration’s treatment of the renowned institution as a disgrace. In one post on Instagram, the Kennedy Center’s official account stated that the venue is for everyone, including Mrs. Couric.
“I just thought, wow, they’re really thin-skinned — I’m obviously getting to somebody in that institution,” Couric told the Daily Beast.
Couric’s defiant stance comes amid an escalating pattern of the Trump administration using federal law enforcement agencies to pursue political opponents. The most dramatic example emerged in late August when FBI agents conducted an early-morning search of the home of former National Security Adviser John Bolton, another prominent Trump critic. The search, part of an investigation into alleged leaks of sensitive national security information, marked what legal experts described as a dangerous escalation in the use of law enforcement against political opposition.
Bolton held the high-profile position of national security adviser from 2018 to 2019 before his relationship with Trump deteriorated. The president claimed he fired Bolton, while the adviser said he offered to resign. Since then, Bolton has harshly criticized Trump, alleging that he placed personal political interests over national security. By Friday, August 22, 2025, a federal grand jury had indicted Bolton, with Attorney General Pam Bondi declaring that no one is above the law.
The Justice Department’s aggressive posture represents a pattern that has unfolded throughout Trump’s second term. The administration has launched what critics call retaliatory investigations against those who investigated Trump, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff. It has filed baseless ethics complaints against judges who ruled against the administration and even sued all federal judges in Maryland.
The targeting of critics extends beyond the political sphere. In the entertainment world, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, another longtime Trump opponent, revealed in August that he obtained Italian citizenship amid the president’s return to the White House. Speaking on The Sarah Silverman Podcast, Kimmel indicated that the current state of affairs is even worse than anticipated. He emphasized that what’s happening is unbelievable and suggested it’s probably worse than Trump himself would prefer.
Despite the hostile environment, Kimmel told comedian Sarah Silverman that Democrats should keep the door open for people who express regret for voting for Trump. He stressed that admitting being wrong is difficult and rare, and those willing to change their minds should be welcomed rather than condemned. The host regularly slams Trump and his administration’s controversial policies on his late-night talk show, with the president typically responding on his Truth Social platform.
Even rock legend Neil Young entered the fray in June 2025, inviting Trump to attend one of his “Love Earth” world tour shows. The invitation came with a stark qualifier: “if there is not martial law by then which would make it impossible.” Young, despite being an admitted fan favorite of Trump’s for decades, had soured on the president after Trump began using his song “Rockin’ In The Free World” at campaign events without permission.
The administration’s approach to dissent has created internal tensions as well. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, an outspoken critic of past U.S. military interventions, reportedly fell out of favor with Trump by June over disagreements about potential military action against Iran. The president openly contradicted her congressional testimony about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, stating he didn’t care what she said and believed Iran was close to having a nuclear weapon.
Multiple senior administration officials indicated that Gabbard had been sidelined in internal discussions about the conflict between Israel and Iran. Her absence from a June 8 meeting at Camp David raised questions about her standing, though a White House official attributed it to scheduled National Guard training.
The pattern of targeting critics has drawn comparisons to authoritarian tactics throughout history. Legal experts and former government officials have warned that the same apparatus can be wielded against anyone who opposes the administration, from judges who rule against policies to journalists who expose corruption to ordinary citizens who post criticism on social media.
For Couric and other media figures, the choice remains clear: continue speaking out despite the risks or stay silent in the face of mounting pressure. The veteran journalist’s response to being called a “has been” signals her intention to maintain her critical voice regardless of the consequences, joining a growing list of public figures refusing to be intimidated by the administration’s aggressive tactics against dissent.
