CBS News Heavily Edits Trump's 60 Minutes Interview, Omitting Claim Regarding Broadcaster Compensating The President Large Money

This CBS News program the long-running news magazine significantly edited an interview featuring the former president broadcast Sunday night, representing the initial sit-down with the program since 2019.

The former president sat down with correspondent Norah O’Donnell for 90 minutes, yet merely about half an hour were broadcast. A complete text version of the interview subsequently published, together with a 73-minute online version from the interview.

These cuts are notable since, precisely 12 months before the president's interview on the program in Florida, he filed suit against CBS over the editing of a 60 Minutes interview featuring Kamala Harris, claiming it was manipulated to help her campaign in the presidential election.

Although many legal experts largely rejected the lawsuit calling it baseless and improbable to succeed under the first amendment, CBS settled with the president for millions this past summer. Under the settlement, the network had agreed to publish full records from upcoming discussions with candidates.

During the opening of the broadcast, O’Donnell reminded viewers that the parent company resolved the legal dispute, but noted that the resolution lacked an apology or admission of wrongdoing”.

During the interview, in a clip omitted from broadcast, the president needled the network about the agreement and repeated his claims toward the broadcaster.

“Actually 60 Minutes gave me a lotta money. You need not include this, since I do not wish to cause you discomfort, and I’m sure you’re not,” Trump said. “However 60 Minutes was forced to pay me a lot of money since they removed Harris’s response out which was damaging, it proved election-changing, 48 hours before the election. And they put a different response in. They compensated me handsomely because of it. You can’t have fake news. We must have truthful journalism. And I think this is occurring.”

During another segment not broadcast of the interview, the president commended the sale of CBS to the Ellison family noting the network’s recently appointed head, the journalist, was a “great new leader”.

Trump admitted he was not acquainted with the editor, but told the interviewer: “People say she’s a great person.

“In my view you have a talented director, honestly, that individual now heading your entire organization, is superb – based on what I've heard,” he said.

Trump was especially effusive in complimenting the executive and his parent, Larry Ellison, the new owner of CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, through their company Skydance.

“In my opinion one of the best things to happen involves this program and new ownership, CBS under new management,” the president commented. “I believe it is a major improvement that’s happened for years to a free and open and reliable media.”

The correspondent did not directly respond regarding these remarks about Weiss and the Ellisons.

Among the president's responses which were cut were multiple statements doubting the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, which he said “had been manipulated and unlawfully taken”.

At one point in the conversation, in a segment omitted from the broadcast, the president attempted to persuade the journalist to acknowledge that crime was down in the capital, where she lives.

“You live here. You are aware of this,” Trump said, asking O’Donnell: “Have you noticed any change?”

“I believe I’ve been working excessively,” O’Donnell replied. “I have not gotten outside often … I get in my car and go to work and return home.”

Trump responded “that is an evasion” and insisted that the journalist had observed a difference.

The president then implied that the exchange didn’t need be included on the show.

“You don’t have to include that part,” he noted. “Don’t worry, it's fine, I do not wish to cause her embarrassment.”