Trump publishes unedited 60-minute interview before airs
President Donald Trump posted his full, unedited interview with “60 Minutes” on Facebook ahead of the broadcast scheduled for Sunday.
The footage shows Trump growing irritable as CBS host Lesley Stahl pressures him on a number of issues, including his response to the coronavirus pandemic, his slippery support among suburban women, the lack of masks at his rallies. and the “Obamacare” replacement plan. He has promised for a long time, but has not been able to unveil.
"Look at the prejudice, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS," Trump wrote Thursday as he tweeted the Facebook link. And he again preemptively criticized the moderator of the final presidential debate on Thursday night.
Throughout the interview, Trump once again attacks Joe Biden's son, based on an unconfirmed New York Post report, and accuses the media of being too soft on his Democratic rival.
As Stahl comments at one point that Trump is offering attack after attack, Trump responds: “It is not attack, it is defense. It is defense against attacks ".
"I am defending myself and I am defending the institute of the presidency," she said.
As Trump continued to make unfounded accusations at Biden and former President Barack Obama, Stahl tried to explain: "This is '60 minutes' and we can't put things in that we can't verify."
But Trump continued to criticize the mainstream media.
"Leslie, you are discrediting yourself," she said.
The interview began in a tense situation when Stahl asked the president as the camera began to roll: "Are you ready for some tough questions?" and she only got more irritable.
At the end of nearly 40 minutes, Trump complained: “Are you ready for tough questions? That is no way to speak. That is no way to speak. "
"You're so negative," he commented later.
Trump eventually interrupted the interview and refused to appear with Vice President Mike Pence.
"That's enough. Come on, ”he said.
CBS News called the White House decision "unprecedented," but said the interview will air Sunday as scheduled.
"The unprecedented decision by the White House to ignore its agreement with CBS News and publish its images will not deter 60 MINUTES from providing full, fair and contextual reports that presidents have participated in for decades," the network said in a statement. .
“60 MINUTES,” he continued, “is widely respected for bringing its distinctive fairness, insightful reporting and informative context to viewers each week. Few journalists have the presidential interview experience that Lesley Stahl has provided during her decades as one of America's leading correspondents and we hope the public will see her third interview with President Trump and subsequent interview with Vice President Pence this weekend. ”.
