‘Bias, hatred and rudeness’: Trump publishes an unpublished 60-minute interview before its broadcast

President Donald Trump posted full, unedited interviews that he and Vice President Mike Pence did with 60 Minutes on Facebook on Thursday before the show’s scheduled broadcast this weekend.

The images show Trump growing increasingly agitated as interviewer Lesley Stahl pressures him on his response to the coronavirus epidemic, his behavior on social media, the lack of masks at his campaign rallies, and the “Obamacare” replacement plan. that he promised for a long time but failed to deliver. .

“Are you ready for some tough questions?” Stahl asked at the beginning of the interview.

“Be fair,” said the president.

When asked by Stahl about priorities for a second term and Trump spoke of creating “the largest economy in the history of the country,” Stahl immediately intervened.

“You know that’s not true,” he said.

Trump objected, saying that she will not address her opponent, Democrat Joe Biden, in the same way.

In a video of Stahl’s subsequent encounter with Pence, she said that “they have both insulted 60 Minutes and me by not answering any of our questions and by giving established campaign speeches that we have heard from both of them at rallies.”

She said she was upset about how the interviews had gone.

“Well Lesley, I appreciate the speech you just gave,” Pence replied. “But I’ve answered all of your questions. And I’ve talked about the things that matter to the American people.”

Trump complained about the “bias, hatred and rudeness” of 60 Minutes and CBS while tweeting the Facebook link.

The CBS broadcast, the nation’s most popular newscast, will have the final say on Sunday when it features edited versions of the interviews, along with talks with Biden and his vice presidential candidate, Kamala Harris.

Throughout the interview, Trump again attacked Biden’s son, based on an unconfirmed report from the New York Post, and accused the media of being too soft on his Democratic rival.

As Stahl commented at one point that Trump was offering attack after attack, Trump responded, “It is not attack, it is defense. It is defense against attack.”

“I am defending myself and I am defending the institute of the presidency,” he said.

As Trump continued to launch unsubstantiated accusations against Biden and former President Barack Obama, Stahl tried to explain, “This is 60 minutes and we can’t put things in that we can’t verify.

But Trump continued to criticize the mainstream media.

“Lesley, you are discrediting yourself,” he said.

Trump eventually interrupted the interview and refused to appear with Pence.

CBS News called the White House decision “unprecedented,” but said the interview will air Sunday as scheduled.

“60 Minutes is widely respected for bringing its hallmark of fairness, insightful reporting and informative context to viewers each week,” the network said in a statement.

“Few journalists have the presidential interview experience that Lesley Stahl has provided during her decades as one of America’s premier correspondents, and we hope the public will see her third interview with President Trump and subsequent interview with Vice President Pence this weekend. week”.

-AP