Donald Trump said he will go on CBS’ storied ’60 Minutes’ program only on the condition that he get an apology from the network.
The former president confirmed an ongoing spat with the program while taking questions in Milwaukee Tuesday evening, minutes before his running mate J.D. Vance was set to face Tim Walz in the vice presidential debate.
Trump referenced his contentious 2020 sit-down with CBS’ Leslie Stahl – where he walked out on a White House sit-down – and said the holdup was over his demand for an apology.
‘First I want to get an apology,’ Trump said when asked about the nixed sit-down. ‘They said the laptop from hell was from Russia. I said it wasn’t from Russia, it was from Hunter [Biden],’ Trump said.
The interview, paired with one with Kamala Harris, was set to air in a Monday night special.
‘They really owed me an apology,’ Trump said.
‘They really owed me an apology’: Donald Trump said CBS should apologize for an exchange about Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop, after the network said he cancelled a scheduled appearance on the show
Trump’s demands could provide him with some leverage at the debate itself. Trump has spent days complaining about his treatment during his debate with Kamala Harris on ABC News, complaining it was ‘three against one.’
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‘After initially accepting 60 Minutes’ request for an interview with Scott Pelley, former President Trump’s campaign has decided not to participate,’ the network said in a statement.
‘For over half a century, 60 Minutes has invited the Democratic and Republican tickets to appear on our broadcast as Americans head to the polls,’ CBS said. ‘This year, both the Harris and Trump campaigns agreed to sit down with 60 Minutes.’
During his 2020 on air slugfest on ’60 Minutes’, Trump claimed ‘they spied on my campaign’ in reference to the Russia probe, while griping that the network did a softball interview with Joe Biden, calling it ‘a joke.’
After Stahl pushed back at him, Trump ended the interview early, conferring with longtime former aide Hope Hicks.
‘I think we have enough of an interview here, Hope. Okay? That’s enough. Let’s go. Let’s go.’
Then former press secretary Kayleigh McEnany brought Stahl a stack of documents and sent in former Vice President Mike Pence.
‘The president’s given you a lot of time,’ she said.
Stahl asked Trump if his tweets turned people off. ‘You discredited yourself,’ Trump said in one of several swipes at her.