By Trendsetter Tribune 
The uneasy alliance between CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss and the MAGA movement fractured on Monday, February 9, 2026, as the Trump administration launched a blistering attack on the network’s leadership. Despite being hired by Paramount CEO David Ellison—a move widely interpreted as a pivot toward a more Trump-friendly “anti-woke” editorial stance—Weiss is now at the center of a “fake news” firestorm.
The Statistic That Sparked the Feud
The conflict began when Weiss used her platform on X to boost a CBS News investigative report by immigration correspondent Camilo Montoya-Galvez.
- The Data: Internal DHS documents revealed that only 14% of ICE arrests during President Trump’s first year back in office involved individuals with violent criminal records.
- The Question: Weiss captioned the report, “Is Trump really deporting the worst of the worst?”
- The Backlash: DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin and the official White House account immediately branded the reporting “Fake News,” arguing that crimes like drug trafficking and burglary—while legally classified as non-violent—are still heinous and should not be used to downplay the administration’s “success.”
A Pattern of Dissent
While Weiss was installed with a mandate to “broaden the aperture” of CBS News, her editorial independence has already caused multiple rifts.
| Incident | Detail |
| “Kristi Noem’s Reckless Lies” | An editorial in Weiss’s publication, The Free Press, criticized the DHS Secretary for “believing supporters are easy to fool” regarding the fatal shooting of VA nurse Alex Pretti. |
| 60 Minutes Pullback | Weiss initially spiked a segment on El Salvador’s CECOT prison (where Trump-era deportees were sent), only to have it air in January after fierce internal pushback. |
| ICE Transparency | Weiss has supported reporting that exposes the administration’s use of “traffic offenses” to inflate its deportation of “violent criminals.” |
Strategic Turmoil: Ellison, Weiss, and WBD
The friction comes at a delicate time for David Ellison and Paramount. Ellison reportedly acquired Weiss’s The Free Press for $150 million to revitalize CBS’s third-place ratings and soften its image with the White House.
- The Acquisition Angle: Analysts believe Ellison is seeking to curry favor with the administration to smooth the way for a potential bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Internal Dissent: Weiss’s lack of broadcast experience and her recent announcement of significant newsroom cuts alongside the hiring of 18 high-paid commentators (including H.R. McMaster) has alienated much of the legacy staff at 60 Minutes and the CBS Evening News.
As the 2026 midterms approach, Weiss finds herself in a precarious position: dismissed by the left as a “Vichy-era” collaborator and attacked by the right as a purveyor of “fake news.”