This CBS News show the long-running news magazine heavily trimmed a conversation with the former president broadcast on Sunday evening, marking the initial sit-down with the program in five years.
Trump sat down alongside journalist the CBS anchor over an hour and a half, yet merely approximately 28 minutes were broadcast. A complete transcript from the discussion was later released, together with a 73-minute online version from the interview.
The edits stand out since, exactly one year prior to Trump's interview with O’Donnell in Florida, he filed suit against CBS over the editing from another 60 Minutes interview featuring Kamala Harris, which he alleged was deceptively edited to benefit her chances during the race.
While numerous attorneys widely dismissed the lawsuit as “meritless” and improbable to succeed under the first amendment, the broadcaster reached an agreement with Trump for $16m in July. Under the agreement, CBS committed to release full records of future interviews of presidential candidates.
During the opening of Sunday’s show, O’Donnell informed the audience that the parent company resolved Trump’s lawsuit, but noted that “the settlement did not include an apology or admission of wrongdoing”.
In the conversation, in one segment omitted from broadcast, the president teased CBS about the agreement restating his claims toward the broadcaster.
“Actually the program gave me a lotta money. And you don’t have to put this on, because I don’t wanna embarrass you, and I trust that you are not,” Trump stated. “However 60 Minutes had to compensate me a large amount because they took her answer out that was so bad, it was election-changing, two nights prior to voting. And they put a different response into the broadcast. They compensated me handsomely because of it. We cannot tolerate false reporting. You’ve gotta have legit news. I believe this is occurring.”
During another segment not broadcast from the discussion, Trump praised the sale of CBS to new owners and said the broadcaster's recently appointed head, the journalist, was a “excellent addition”.
The US president said he didn’t know the editor, yet informed the interviewer: “I hear she is impressive.
“In my view you have a talented director, frankly, that individual now heading your entire organization, is superb – from what I know,” he remarked.
Trump was especially enthusiastic in complimenting David Ellison and his parent, Larry Ellison, the new owner of CBS News’ parent company, Paramount, through their company Skydance.
“In my opinion one of the best things to happen is this show and new ownership, CBS and new ownership,” Trump commented. “I think it is a major improvement that’s happened for years to a free and open and reliable media.”
The correspondent offered no direct reply to the president’s comments concerning the editor and the Ellisons.
Included in the president's responses which were cut were several comments questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, which he described “was rigged and unlawfully taken”.
At one point in the interview, in a segment omitted from the broadcast, the president tried to get the journalist to acknowledge that safety had improved in Washington DC, where she lives.
“You live here. You know that too,” Trump remarked, inquiring of the correspondent: “Have you noticed a difference?”
“I believe I’ve been working excessively,” she replied. “I have not gotten outside often … I get in my car and go to work and I go home.”
The president responded “that is an evasion” maintaining that the journalist noticed a difference.
Trump then seemed to suggest that the back-and-forth need not to be aired in the program.
“It is unnecessary to use that one,” he said. “Don’t worry, it's fine, I don’t want to embarrass her.”
