CBS News Significantly Trims Donald Trump's 60 Minutes Sit-Down, Omitting Claim About Network Compensating Him Large Funds

This broadcast network program 60 Minutes heavily edited a conversation featuring Donald Trump that aired Sunday night, representing his first sit-down with the program in five years.

Trump sat down alongside journalist Norah O’Donnell for 90 minutes, but only about 28 minutes were broadcast. The full text version from the discussion subsequently released, alongside an extended online version from the interview.

The edits stand out since, exactly one year before the president's appearance on the program in Florida, he filed suit against the network regarding the editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President the vice president, which he alleged had been manipulated to help her campaign in the presidential election.

Although numerous attorneys largely rejected the lawsuit as “meritless” and unlikely to hold up under the first amendment, CBS reached an agreement with Trump for millions this past summer. As part of the agreement, the network committed that it would publish transcripts of future interviews of presidential candidates.

During the opening of the broadcast, O’Donnell reminded viewers that Paramount resolved Trump’s lawsuit, adding that the resolution lacked any admission or expression of regret”.

During the interview, in one segment that did not air, Trump needled the network over the settlement and repeated his claims toward the broadcaster.

“Actually the program paid me a lotta money. And you don’t have to include this, since I do not wish to embarrass you, and I’m sure you’re not,” the president said. “But 60 Minutes was forced to pay me a lot of money since they removed Harris’s response out that was so bad, it was decisive, two nights before the election. And they put a new answer in. And they paid me handsomely for that. We cannot tolerate fake news. You’ve gotta have truthful journalism. I believe this is occurring.”

During another un-aired portion from the discussion, Trump praised the sale of the network to new owners noting the broadcaster's new editor-in-chief, the journalist, was a “great new leader”.

Trump said he didn’t know the editor, but told O’Donnell: “People say she’s a great person.

“In my view you have a talented director, frankly, that individual now heading your whole enterprise, is a great – based on what I've heard,” he remarked.

Trump was especially enthusiastic in praising the executive and his father, Larry, the recent purchaser of the network's parent firm, Paramount, through their company Skydance.

“In my opinion a very positive development to happen involves this program and new ownership, the network under new management,” Trump said. “I believe it is a major improvement that’s happened for years toward a transparent and reliable media.”

O’Donnell offered no direct reply regarding these remarks about Weiss and the Ellisons.

Among Trump’s many answers which were cut were multiple statements questioning the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, which he said “was rigged and stolen”.

During one exchange in the conversation, in a part that was not aired, the president attempted to persuade O’Donnell to acknowledge that crime was down in Washington DC, where she lives.

“You reside in DC. You know that too,” the president said, inquiring of the correspondent: “Do you see a difference?”

“I think I have been occupied too hard,” O’Donnell replied. “I haven’t been outside that much … I get in my car and go to work and I go home.”

Trump said “that is an evasion” maintaining that O’Donnell noticed a difference.

Trump then seemed to suggest that the back-and-forth need not to be aired on the show.

“It is unnecessary to use that one,” he noted. “No concerns, it's fine, I do not wish to cause her embarrassment.”