The Network Significantly Trims Donald Trump's 60 Minutes Interview, Removing Boast Regarding Broadcaster Compensating Him Substantial Funds
This CBS News show 60 Minutes significantly trimmed a conversation featuring Donald Trump broadcast Sunday night, representing his first one-on-one on the show in five years.
Trump sat down with correspondent the CBS anchor for 90 minutes, but only approximately half an hour aired on television. The full text version from the discussion was later published, alongside an extended online version from the interview.
These cuts stand out because, exactly one year before Trump's appearance with O’Donnell in Florida, he filed suit against the network over post-production changes from another news program segment with then-Vice President the vice president, claiming it had been manipulated to help her campaign during the race.
Although numerous legal experts largely rejected the lawsuit calling it baseless and unlikely to succeed on free speech grounds, the broadcaster reached an agreement with Trump for $16m in July. Under the agreement, CBS committed to release transcripts from upcoming discussions of presidential candidates.
At the beginning of Sunday’s show, O’Donnell informed the audience that Paramount resolved the legal dispute, but noted that “the settlement lacked an apology or admission of wrongdoing”.
In the conversation, in one segment that did not air, the president needled the network about the agreement and repeated his allegations toward the broadcaster.
“In fact 60 Minutes paid me a substantial sum. And you don’t have to put this on, since I do not wish to cause you discomfort, and I’m sure you’re not,” Trump said. “However 60 Minutes had to compensate me a lot of money because they took her answer out that was so bad, it was election-changing, two nights prior to voting. And they put a different response in. And they paid me handsomely because of it. You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have truthful journalism. And I think this is occurring.”
In a separate segment not broadcast from the discussion, Trump praised the acquisition of CBS to new owners and said the broadcaster's recently appointed head, the journalist, is a “excellent addition”.
Trump admitted he was not acquainted with the editor, but told the interviewer: “People say she is impressive.
“In my view you have a great new leader, honestly, who’s the young woman that’s leading your whole enterprise, is a great – based on what I've heard,” he said.
Trump was particularly enthusiastic in complimenting the executive and his father, Larry, the recent purchaser of the network's parent firm, Paramount Global, through their company Skydance.
“In my opinion a very positive development to happen involves this program and the change in ownership, CBS and new ownership,” Trump commented. “I think it is a major improvement that’s happened in a long time to a free and open and reliable media.”
O’Donnell did not directly respond to the president’s comments concerning the editor and the Ellisons.
Among the president's responses that were edited out were several comments doubting the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, which he said “was rigged and unlawfully taken”.
At one point in the conversation, in a part omitted from the broadcast, the president tried to get the journalist to acknowledge that safety had improved in Washington DC, where she lives.
“You live here. You are aware of this,” the president said, asking the correspondent: “Have you noticed a difference?”
“I think I have been occupied excessively,” she replied. “I have not gotten out and about that much … I drive to the studio and I go home.”
The president said “that is an evasion” maintaining that O’Donnell had observed an improvement.
The president then implied that the back-and-forth need not be included on the show.
“You don’t have to use that one,” he noted. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I do not wish to cause her embarrassment.”