The Network Heavily Edits Trump's TV Program Interview, Omitting Claim About Broadcaster Compensating The President Substantial Money

This CBS News show the long-running news magazine significantly edited a conversation featuring Donald Trump that aired on Sunday evening, representing the initial one-on-one on the show since 2019.

The former president spoke with correspondent Norah O’Donnell for 90 minutes, yet merely about 28 minutes aired on television. The full transcript from the discussion subsequently published, together with an extended digital cut from the interview.

These cuts are notable since, precisely 12 months before the president's appearance on the program in Florida, he had sued the network regarding post-production changes from another 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President the vice president, claiming it was manipulated to help her campaign in the presidential election.

Although numerous legal experts widely dismissed the legal action as “meritless” and improbable to succeed on free speech grounds, CBS settled with Trump for $16m in July. Under the settlement, CBS had agreed that it would release full records from upcoming discussions of presidential candidates.

During the opening of Sunday’s show, the correspondent reminded viewers that the parent company resolved Trump’s lawsuit, but noted that the resolution lacked any admission or admission of wrongdoing”.

During the interview, in a clip omitted from broadcast, the president needled the network over the settlement restating his claims toward the broadcaster.

“In fact 60 Minutes paid me a lotta money. You need not include this, because I don’t wanna cause you discomfort, and I trust that you are not,” Trump stated. “However 60 Minutes was forced to compensate me a large amount since they took her answer from the segment that was so bad, it was election-changing, two nights before the election. They inserted a new answer into the broadcast. They compensated me a lot of money for that. You can’t have fake news. We must have legit news. I believe that it’s happening.”

During another segment not broadcast from the discussion, Trump praised the sale of the network to the Ellison family noting the network’s new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, was a “great new leader”.

The US president admitted he was not acquainted with the editor, but told O’Donnell: “People say she’s a great person.

“In my view you have a great new leader, frankly, that individual now heading your entire organization, is superb – from what I know,” he remarked.

Trump was particularly enthusiastic in complimenting the executive and his parent, Larry Ellison, the new owner of the network's parent firm, Paramount, via their firm Skydance.

“I think a very positive development recently involves this program and the change in ownership, the network under new management,” Trump said. “I believe it’s the greatest thing that’s happened for years to a free and open and good press.”

The correspondent offered no direct reply regarding these remarks about Weiss and the owners.

Included in the president's responses which were cut were multiple statements doubting the integrity of the last election, which he said “was rigged and stolen”.

At one point in the interview, in a segment that was not aired, the president attempted to persuade the journalist to admit that crime was down in the capital, where she lives.

“You reside in DC. You know that too,” Trump remarked, asking the correspondent: “Have you noticed a difference?”

“I think I’ve been working too hard,” she responded. “I have not gotten outside that much … I drive and go to work and I go home.”

Trump responded “that is an evasion” maintaining that the journalist had observed an improvement.

Trump then implied that the exchange need not to be aired in the program.

“It is unnecessary to include that part,” he said. “No concerns, don’t worry, I don’t want to cause her embarrassment.”