Trump teases preemptive release of ’60 Minutes’ interview
President Trump on Thursday teased the release of an unedited version of his interview with “60 Minutes” as his attacks on the widely watched news program dragged into a third day.
The president has been fixated on the interview with veteran journalist Lesley Stahl, which ended abruptly after Trump grew frustrated with the questioning.
“I will soon be giving a first in television history full, unedited preview of the vicious attempted ‘takeout’ interview of me by Lesley Stahl of @60Minutes,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “Watch her constant interruptions & anger. Compare my full, flowing and ‘magnificently brilliant’ answers to their ‘Q’s’.”
A spokesperson for “60 Minutes” did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s tweet. White House staff typically record interviews with the president independently to ensure accuracy, though it’s unclear if they would have a video recording of Trump’s sit down with Stahl or whether it would be violating an embargo agreed to with the program.
The news magazine released the first clip of Stahl’s interview with Trump, and CBS appeared to respond to the president’s criticisms in a tweet sharing the footage.
“WATCH: President Trump was asked by @LesleyRStahl about his priorities — before cutting his interview short,” “CBS This Morning” tweeted in sharing a clip of the interview. “@60Minutes has a history of asking tough questions of presidential candidates during the run-up to the election.”
In the clip, Stahl interjects when Trump claims his administration “created the greatest economy in the history of our country” to tell him that’s not true. She then presses him on his domestic policy priority for a second term and on who he believes the greatest foreign adversary is for the U.S.
Trump and White House aides have spent the last few days attacking Stahl and “60 Minutes” with less than two weeks before Election Day.
After the interview wrapped earlier Tuesday, Trump also shared a video of Stahl purporting to show her without a face mask interacting with others in the White House. Trump and his aides typically do not wear masks themselves, and CBS released a photo of Stahl wearing a mask as she sits down to begin the interview.
Trump on Wednesday tweeted out photos from the interview, including one where his press secretary hands Stahl a large book Trump said contained his accomplishments and plans on health care.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.