60 Minutes: Donald Trump Offered ‘Shifting Explanations’ for Cancelling Interview — Watch Scathing Video
60 Minutes gave viewers a rare behind-the-scenes look during Monday’s election special, offering illuminating new details about former President Donald Trump’s decision to back out of his scheduled interview, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris to fly solo.
“It’s been a tradition for more than half a century that the major party candidates for president sit down with 60 Minutes in October,” Scott Pelley told viewers at the top of the broadcast. “In 1968, it was Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. This year, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump accepted our invitation. Unfortunately, last week, Trump canceled.”
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As Pelley explained, 60 Minutes was told that Trump’s interview would be conducted on Thursday, Oct. 3, at Mar-a-Lago. A secondary interview at the site of Trump’s assassination attempt was also reportedly being arranged at the behest of Trump’s team. Pelley laid out a detailed timeline of interactions between 60 Minutes and Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director.
So, why did Trump ultimately back out of the interview? “The campaign offered shifting explanations,” Pelley said. “First, it complained that we would fact-check the interview. We fact-check every story. Later, Trump said he needed an apology for his interview in 2020. Trump claims correspondent Lesley Stahl said in that interview that Hunter Biden’s controversial laptop came from Russia. She never said that.”
“Trump has said his opponent doesn’t do interviews because she can’t handle them,” Pelley continued. “He had previously declined another debate with Harris, so tonight may have been the largest audience for the candidates between now and Election Day.”
Hit PLAY on the video above to watch Pelley’s opening remarks.
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