Trump Cancels Scheduled Prime-Time Interview with '60 Minutes', According to CBS Report
CBS revealed Trump's change of plans a few hours prior to the network hosting a vice-presidential debate between Trump's vice-presidential nominee, Senator JD Vance from Ohio, and Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, Governor Tim Walz from Minnesota.
The network, known for its 60-year tradition of inviting the Democratic and Republican tickets to appear on its broadcast during election seasons, had secured interviews with both candidates, with Trump being the first to commit, followed by Harris, through their respective campaign spokespeople. Veteran CBS anchor and correspondent, Scott Pelley, was set to interview Trump.
However, CBS announced that Trump's campaign had decided against participating in the interview with Pelley, citing it as a late change that disrupted their programming plans, as the interviews were scheduled to air on a special Monday night edition of “60 Minutes” next week.
With no further debates scheduled between Trump and Harris, this "60 Minutes" interview represented one of the final opportunities for voters to see both candidates on major television before the November election. In response, CBS confirmed that they would still conduct an interview with Harris, with correspondent Bill Whitaker set to follow her on the campaign trail and interview her later this week.
CBS maintained their invitation for an interview with Trump, with the network spokesperson stating that "our original invitation to former President Donald Trump to be interviewed on 60 Minutes still stands." However, the Trump campaign denied agreeing to the interview, claiming that they had only had initial discussions with 60 Minutes, which had never been scheduled or confirmed.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung allegedly added that "they insisted on cutting out of the interview to do fact-checking," suggesting a reason for the campaign's decision to back out. Following this announcement, CNN questioned if there was still a chance for Trump to participate in the interview, to which Cheung responded, "Now that they've lied about the interaction, they just f**ked themselves."
In response to Trump's withdrawal from the interview, Harris senior adviser David Plouffe criticized Trump, stating, "Afraid of the debate stage. Afraid of 60 minutes. And his campaign team - after the last three days of increasingly unhinged and unstable ranting at his rallies - is clearly afraid of exposing him beyond comfortable confines."
In October 2020, Trump had also abruptly ended his interview with "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl. The "CBS Newsmagazine" is often a sought-after destination for presidential candidates due to its large viewership.
Contributing reporting by CNN's Alayna Treene.
The abrupt withdrawal of Trump's interview with "60 Minutes" has once again highlighted the complex relationship between media and politics in the business world. Despite CBS maintaining their invitation, it remains unclear if Trump will reconsider, potentially impacting viewer engagement and ratings.
