New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pulled out of an appearance on the now Donald Trump–friendly CBS News because of the actions of the network’s editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.
The progressive Democrat Mamdani, to whom the president has taken an unlikely shine, had been in talks to do a sit-down interview with Robert Costa for CBS News Sunday Morning.
However, Mamdani has now backed out because Weiss has stirred CBS News to launch wave after wave of negative press coverage of the mayor, Vanity Fair’s Aidan McLaughlin first reported in his Party Animals newsletter.
This includes Weiss reposting a CBS News clip of Iranian dissident and activist Masih Alinejad criticizing Mamdani’s description of U.S. strikes on Iran as “a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression,” along with a fire emoji on X.
CBS News has also published multiple stories seizing on years-old Instagram “likes” from Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, including posts that supported the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Status recently reported CBS News staff were concerned that Weiss—an outspoken supporter of Israel and a fierce critic of progressive “woke” ideologies—was trying to steer the network toward the same editorial stance as The Free Press, the media company she founded, which is also highly critical of the New York mayor.
A source told Status that Weiss positioning herself as a personal attack dog against Mamdani has made the Democrat wary of CBS News.
“It feels pretty clear that Bari Weiss views her role, whether at CBS or The Free Press, as being a political adversary to the mayor,” the source said.
One person who has no issue with the 34-year-old rising star in the Democratic Party is Trump. Despite being the mayor’s ideological polar opposite, Trump appears to be a giddy supporter of Mamdani.
Last month, during a visit to the Oval Office, Mamdani charmed Trump by gifting the 79-year-old a mock New York Daily News front page featuring the president with the headline “Trump to City: Let’s Build,” as the mayor pitched a housing plan.
In extraordinary scenes at the White House in November 2025, Trump didn’t even mind when Mamdani referred to the MAGA president as a “fascist.”
“That’s OK, you could just say, ‘Yes,’” an amused Trump said when reporters asked Mamdani whether he still believed the president was a fascist while he was sitting right next to the mayor. “It’s easier than explaining it.”
The Daily Beast has contacted CBS News and Mamdani’s office for comment.
