CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil is currently anchoring the network’s flagship program alone from Taiwan after a major logistical failure left him without a visa for the high-stakes summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing. While rival anchors from every other major network are broadcasting directly from the Chinese capital, CBS was forced to scramble for a backup location. The network attempted to frame the move as an editorial choice to highlight Taiwanese independence, but internal reports suggest the situation was the result of a last-minute rush to keep up with competitors.
The trouble started when CBS News chief Bari Weiss reportedly ordered the Taiwan deployment after learning that ABC News anchor David Muir was already in Beijing for the summit. According to a report from Yahoo News, the late push for credentials failed to materialize, leaving Dokoupil as the only major broadcast anchor locked out of China. The broadcast has faced constant hurdles since arriving in Taipei, including a scary moment when an on-air cameraman collapsed during a live report. CBS later confirmed the crew member was recovering after a medical emergency.
The physical location of the broadcast has been just as unstable as the paperwork. Dokoupil originally went live on Wednesday from a hotel balcony, but the crew was reportedly forced to leave that spot after behind-the-scenes drama with the venue. This led to a sudden relocation to Liberty Square for the Thursday and Friday programs. Industry insiders described the visa mishap as a sloppy error that has left the network trailing behind NBC and ABC in its coverage of the geopolitical crisis.
Despite the chaotic setup, Dokoupil used his final broadcast of the week to focus on the political divide in the region. According to recent reports on the Liberty Square broadcast, the anchor closed out his Friday coverage by interviewing local residents about their rejection of communism. The broadcast happened as global tensions remained high over the Trump-Xi meetings, though CBS remains the only news organization without its lead anchor on the ground in the summit city.