The Network Heavily Edits Donald Trump's TV Program Sit-Down, Removing Claim Regarding Broadcaster Compensating The President Large Money

The CBS News program the long-running news magazine significantly edited a conversation with the former president broadcast on Sunday evening, marking the initial sit-down with the program since 2019.

Trump sat down with correspondent Norah O’Donnell over an hour and a half, but only about 28 minutes were broadcast. A complete transcript of the interview subsequently released, alongside an extended online version from the interview.

These cuts stand out since, exactly one year prior to the president's appearance on the program in Florida, he filed suit against the network regarding the editing from another 60 Minutes interview featuring Kamala Harris, claiming it had been deceptively edited to benefit her chances during the race.

Although numerous legal experts widely dismissed the lawsuit as “meritless” and improbable to succeed on free speech grounds, the broadcaster settled with the president for $16m this past summer. Under the agreement, the network committed that it would publish full records of future interviews with candidates.

At the beginning of Sunday’s show, the correspondent informed the audience that the parent company settled Trump’s lawsuit, but noted that the resolution lacked an apology or admission of wrongdoing”.

During the interview, in one segment omitted from broadcast, Trump teased CBS about the agreement and repeated his claims against the network.

“In fact the program paid me a lotta money. And you don’t have to include this, since I do not wish to cause you discomfort, and I’m sure that you are not,” the president said. “However 60 Minutes had to pay me a lot of money since they removed Harris’s response from the segment that was so bad, it was election-changing, 48 hours before the election. And they put a new answer into the broadcast. And they paid me a lot of money for that. You can’t have fake news. We must have truthful journalism. I believe that it’s happening.”

During another segment not broadcast of the interview, the president praised the sale of the network to the Ellison family noting the network’s recently appointed head, Bari Weiss, was a “excellent addition”.

The US president admitted he was not acquainted with Weiss, but told the interviewer: “People say she is impressive.

“In my view you've acquired a great new leader, honestly, that individual now heading your entire organization, is superb – from what I know,” he said.

Trump was particularly enthusiastic in praising the executive and his father, Larry, the new owner of the network's parent firm, Paramount, through their company Skydance.

“In my opinion a very positive development recently involves this program and the change in ownership, the network under new management,” the president commented. “I think it is a major improvement that’s happened in a long time toward a transparent and good press.”

The correspondent did not directly respond to the president’s comments about Weiss and the owners.

Included in Trump’s many answers which were cut were several comments doubting the legitimacy of the last election, which he said “had been manipulated and unlawfully taken”.

At one point in the conversation, in a part that was not aired, Trump tried to get the journalist to acknowledge that crime was down in the capital, where she lives.

“You live here. You know that too,” Trump remarked, inquiring of O’Donnell: “Do you see any change?”

“I think I have been occupied excessively,” she replied. “I haven’t been outside often … I get in my car and go to work and return home.”

Trump responded “that’s not a fair answer” and insisted that O’Donnell noticed a difference.

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

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