President Donald Trump released a portion of his 60 Minutes interview with veteran
journalist Lesley Stahl three days ahead of its set air date of October 25th, 2020.
The footage included approximately 38 minutes of Trumps' interview with Stahl
and 14 minutes of video featuring Vice President Mike Pence and Stahl's conversation. Some of the
topics covered include the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, the economy,
and Trump's claim that his campaign got spied on during the 2016 presidential election.
In a statement, CBS, the network behind the investigative news outlet,
said the 60 Minutes interview would air as planned, explaining,
"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 network also defended Stahl, adding,
"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."
Trump's early release of the interview footage is a first, and his displeasure with Stahl has
generated plenty of headlines. Trump tweeted amid the interview snafu,
"Watch her constant interruptions & anger. Compare
my full, flowing and 'magnificently brilliant' answers to their Q's."
But wait — there's even more drama to talk about,
like the tense exchanges the journalist had with Pence and Trump. To put it mildly,
Lesley Stahl had some choice words for the president and vice president.
Trump seemed frustrated with Stahl from the jump,
and during one point in the conversation, complained about the "biased" press.
"And I'm not talking about—" "You're trying to discredit us." "No." "Yes."
"You're discrediting yourself, Lesley." "No, you are." "Lesley, you're discrediting yourself."
The frustration boiled over post-interview,
as Stahl vented to Vice President Mike Pence in their interview.
"I feel that you both have insulted 60 Minutes and me by not answering any of our questions."
Stahl then accused Pence and Trump both of,
"Giving set campaign speeches that we have heard both of you
give at rallies without answering our questions."
Pence asked Stahl multiple times for specific examples,
and Stahl shared one example of Pence giving her a "speech" about Trump,
after she asked instead about infectious disease expert, Dr. Fauci. She continuously accused him of
giving "speeches" and admitted she was "upset" by how things transpired. Pence responded,
"Well, Lesley, I appreciate the speech that you just gave, but I've answered
all your questions and I've spoken about things the American people care about."
But before this exchange with Pence, President Trump walked out of his interview with Stahl,
seemingly because he was unhappy with her questions. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows
later stated during a Fox Business interview that there was a "high probability" that the footage
would be released early by Trump and accused Stahl of acting like "an opinion journalist."
It's unclear which of her questions inspired that claim. But what is clear
is Trump's belief that Stahl treated him unfairly,
compared to how she would hypothetically treat former Vice President Joe Biden. When Stahl
challenged the president to answer questions about the American economy, he shot back,
"You would never say that to Biden."
Trump also accused the journalist of "protecting" Biden, without providing
any evidence. Trump and Stahl engaged in many heated moments during the interview,
and finally, Trump had enough, in one last sour exchange before walking off set.
"Excuse me, Lesley, you started with me,
your first statement was, 'Are you ready for tough questions?' That's no way to talk."
On October 20th, Trump slammed the interview in a tweet as "FAKE and BIASED." Viewers can
judge for themselves whether Stahl conducted the interview fairly,
and see the 60 Minutes cut, when it airs on October 25th on CBS.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about the latest hot topics are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.