Trump withdraws from CNBC interview, marking his second change of heart towards mainstream media this month.
Joe Kernen, co-host of "Squawk Box", announced during Tuesday's broadcast that Trump had cancelled his upcoming interview. He stated, "Yep, Trump pulled out. He was supposed to join us."
Kernen went on to mention that CNBC had also proposed a sit-down with Vice President Kamala Harris, but she declined the invitation. He jokingly suggested, "So, Harris could hop on now, and we could say we invited Trump's team, but they turned us down."
A representative from Trump's campaign informed CNN that the interview was cancelled due to a scheduling misalignment, as Trump is scheduled to be in Michigan on Friday.
CNBC did not immediately reply to CNN's request for comment.
Trump's decision to cancel the interview follows his withdrawal from a scheduled appearance on "60 Minutes" with Scott Pelley, less than two weeks prior.
Instead of appearing on mainstream outlets, Trump has primarily chosen to appear on friendly platforms such as Fox News, Newsmax, "The Ramsey Show", and Real America's Voice. He is also scheduled for town halls with Fox News and Univision this week.
In response to Trump's cancellation, Harris campaign spokesperson Charles Kretchmer Lutvak stated via X, "Trump chickened out of the debate due to Harris' accountability (once again)." He continued, "Trump backed out of 60 Minutes because he was scared to answer tough questions."
Lutvak then humored, "Now, Trump bailed on Joe Kernen because he can't even conduct a chat on TV with his old buddy."
As no further debates are scheduled prior to November's election, both Trump and Harris have shifted their focus to engaging undecided voters through unconventional channels, including podcasts.
Harris has also agreed to her inaugural interview on Fox News, set to air Wednesday evening with anchor Bret Baier.
Kernen expressed his disappointment, saying, "It's disappointing that Trump chose to pull out of our interview on business grounds, as we had a scheduled sit-down with Vice President Harris." Later, during a discussion about media appearances, he added, "It seems Trump prefers engagement through media outlets that align with his viewpoints, rather than appearing on more mainstream media like CNBC."
