President Trump has released his full interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, which showed the two jousting over what material ought to be aired.
On Thursday, the president released his full, 35-minute-plus interview with Stahl on social media. The two battled over Trump’s stance on masks, rising coronavirus cases, his campaign rallies, and the way Stahl conducted the interview. Stahl warned the president at the start of the interview, asking if he was “ready for some tough questions.”
At one point, Stahl said CBS would not air Trump’s repeated claim that his campaign was spied on by the Obama administration. “The biggest scandal was when they spied on my campaign. They spied on my campaign, Lesley,” Trump said. “There’s no real evidence of that,” Stahl replied.
“Of course there is. It’s all over the place. Lesley, they spied on my campaign, and they got caught,” Trump continued. Stahl told the president she couldn’t air the segment of the interview because they couldn’t verify Trump’s claim. “Can I say something? You know, this is 60 Minutes. And we can’t put on things we can’t verify,” she said.
The two discussed unearthed emails from a laptop and hard drive allegedly belonging to Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Trump argued the news is “very important” as to whether or not Joe Biden engaged in corrupt behavior with his son Hunter, but Stahl claimed investigations show the allegations to be “discredited.”
“All these things have been investigated and discredited,” Stahl said, but Trump fired back. “It’s incredible the way you can try and say this, sit there and look me in the eye and say it.” Stahl said the materials on the laptop, which have been reported on, can’t be verified.
Joe Biden has called reporting on the materials a “smear campaign,” though neither he nor his son has denied the authenticity of the computer materials.
Trump argued that the press is “discrediting itself” based on the way media has reported on the materials.
“You’re trying to discredit us,” Stahl said. “No,” Trump said. “You’re discrediting yourself, Lesley.”
Earlier in the interview, Stahl asked the president about the rising number of coronavirus cases and increased unemployment numbers as a consequence of shutdowns. “It’s like the gods have suddenly decided to conspire against you,” she said. Trump rejected the characterization, asserting his administration has reacted well to the virus, pointing to high testing numbers. “We have turned the corner. We have turned the corner,” Trump said of the pandemic.
CBS called the president’s release of the interview “unprecedented,” but they plan to proceed with airing their interview of both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
“The White House’s unprecedented decision to disregard their agreement with CBS News and release their footage will not deter 60 MINUTES from providing its full, fair and contextual reporting which presidents have participated in for decades,” the statement reads. “Few journalists have the presidential interview experience Lesley Stahl has delivered over her decades as one of the premier correspondents in America and we look forward to audiences seeing her third interview with President Trump and subsequent interview with Vice President Pence this weekend.”
