Because the President didn’t like being called on his bullshit during an interview with 60 Minutes, he beat the news program to the punch and posted the full interview to his Facebook page Thursday before the news show could air it.
The president took to Twitter to complain that interviewer journalist Lesley Stahl was rude and included a link to his presidential Facebook page that included the nearly 40-minute interview with the caption “Look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS,” the Hill reports.
“Tonight’s anchor, Kristen Welker, is far worse!” Trump added, referencing NBC News anchor and Thursday evening presidential debate moderator.
The Hill notes that Trump abruptly ended the interview and didn’t return for a scheduled walk-and-talk in which the president and vice-president were to walk-and-talk with Stahl.
From the Hill:
During the interview he complains repeatedly that Stahl did not ask tough questions of Democratic nominee Joe Biden, to which Stahl responds she did not interview Biden. Trump corrects himself to say “the interview” with Biden.
“I think we have enough. We have enough,” Trump says in the clip, moving to end the interview.
“I think we’re ready for the vice president now,” a production assistant says off camera.
“OK, that’s enough. Let’s go,” Trump says.
CBS News noted that the White House asked to tape the interview “for archival purposes only.”
“The White House’s unprecedented decision to disregard their agreement with CBS News and release their footage will not deter 60 Minutes from providing its full, fair and contextual reporting which presidents have participated in for decades,” CBS News said in a statement provided to the Hill after Trump posted the interview.
“60 Minutes, the most-watched news program on television, is widely respected for bringing its hallmark fairness, deep reporting and informative context to viewers each week. Few journalists have the presidential interview experience Lesley Stahl has delivered over her decades as one of the premier correspondents in America and we look forward to audiences seeing her third interview with President Trump and subsequent interview with Vice President Pence this weekend,” the statement read.
The interview between Stahl and Trump was contentious from the onset as Trump continues to spout off lies and Stahl attempts to correct him.
“This is 60 Minutes,” Stahl explains to this dumb ass. “We can’t put on things we can’t verify.” Trump was in the middle of claiming that the Obama administration spied on his administration, which is an unsubstantiated claim that the president continues to make.
Also from the Hill:
“I think we have done a great job with COVID,” Trump says.
“Sir, excuse me. Cases are up in about 40 states,” Stahl replies.
Trump acknowledges the increase in cases but attributes them only to an increase in testing, a claim that public health experts have said is misleading.
“Because we do so much testing, the fake news media loves to say, cases are up. The fact is we have done a very good job,” Trump said.
The president also continued to insist that the U.S. is turning the corner on the virus, a claim that is out of step with his top health officials’ warnings about the risk of a resurgence.
“We have turned the corner. We understand the disease. We understand the elderly and we are taking care of them,” Trump said.
At one point, Trump grows angry with Stahl’s characterization of his recent plea to suburban women to “please like me” at a campaign rally. Trump insisted angrily that he made the remark in jest.
“You said the other day to suburban women, will you please like me?” Stahl said in a pleading voice.
“Oh I didn’t say that. You know, that is so misleading the way you said it. I say jokingly, suburban women you should love me because I’m giving you security and I got rid of the worst regulation,” Trump said.
“See, the way you said that is why people think of you and everyone else as fake news,” Trump continued. “I said that in a joking way. The way you have it is like I’m begging.”
This damn election can’t come fast enough so Trump can go back to being the old man who yells on his Twitter lawn instead of being the president of the whole country.