The Network Heavily Edits Donald Trump's TV Program Interview, Omitting Claim Regarding Broadcaster Compensating Him Large Funds
This broadcast network show the long-running news magazine significantly trimmed an interview featuring Donald Trump that aired on Sunday evening, representing his first one-on-one on the show in five years.
Trump spoke alongside journalist the CBS anchor for 90 minutes, yet merely about 28 minutes aired on television. A complete transcript of the interview subsequently released, together with an extended online version of the conversation.
The edits are notable because, precisely 12 months prior to the president's interview with O’Donnell at his Mar-a-Lago resort, he filed suit against CBS over post-production changes of a news program interview with then-Vice President the vice president, which he alleged was manipulated to benefit her campaign in the presidential election.
Although many attorneys widely dismissed the lawsuit calling it baseless and improbable to succeed on free speech grounds, the broadcaster settled with Trump for $16m this past summer. As part of the agreement, the network committed that it would publish full records from upcoming discussions of presidential candidates.
During the opening of the broadcast, O’Donnell reminded viewers that the parent company resolved Trump’s lawsuit, but noted that the resolution did not include an apology or admission of wrongdoing”.
In the conversation, in a clip that did not air, the president teased the network over the settlement and repeated his claims against the network.
“Actually 60 Minutes paid me a lotta money. And you don’t have to include this, because I don’t wanna cause you discomfort, and I trust that you are not,” Trump stated. “But 60 Minutes was forced to pay me a lot of money since they removed her answer out that was so bad, it proved decisive, 48 hours prior to voting. And they put a new answer into the broadcast. They compensated me handsomely for that. We cannot tolerate false reporting. You’ve gotta have legit news. And I think that it’s happening.”
In a separate segment not broadcast from the discussion, the president commended the acquisition of CBS to the Ellison family noting the broadcaster's new editor-in-chief, the journalist, is a “great new leader”.
Trump admitted he was not acquainted with Weiss, but told the interviewer: “I hear she is impressive.
“I think you have a talented director, honestly, who’s the young woman now heading your entire organization, is a great – from what I know,” he said.
The president was particularly effusive in praising David Ellison and his parent, Larry Ellison, the new owner of the network's parent firm, Paramount, through their company Skydance Media.
“I think a very positive development to happen is this show and new ownership, the network and new ownership,” the president said. “I believe it is a major improvement that has occurred for years to a free and open and reliable media.”
O’Donnell offered no direct reply regarding these remarks concerning the editor and the owners.
Among the president's responses which were cut were several comments questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, which he described “was rigged and unlawfully taken”.
At one point in the conversation, in a segment omitted from the broadcast, Trump tried to get O’Donnell to admit that safety had improved in Washington DC, where she lives.
“You live here. You are aware of this,” the president said, asking O’Donnell: “Have you noticed any change?”
“I think I’ve been working excessively,” she replied. “I haven’t been out and about that much … I get in my car to the studio and return home.”
Trump responded “that is an evasion” and insisted that the journalist had observed a difference.
Trump then implied that the back-and-forth didn’t need to be aired in the program.
“It is unnecessary to use that one,” he noted. “No concerns, don’t worry, I don’t want to cause her embarrassment.”
