Show an ad over header. AMP

Trump threatens to post "60 Minutes" interview early after reportedly walking out of taping

20 October 2020
Dan Ackermann

President Trump tweeted on Tuesday that he was considering posting his interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" prior to airtime in order to show "what a FAKE and BIASED interview" it was, following reports that he abruptly ended the interview after 45 minutes of taping.

Why it matters: Trump has escalated his war on the media in the final stretches of his re-election campaign, calling a Reuters reporter a "criminal" this week for not reporting on corruption allegations about Hunter Biden and disparaging CNN as "dumb b*stards" for the network's ongoing coronavirus coverage.

What he's saying: "I am pleased to inform you that, for the sake of accuracy in reporting, I am considering posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, PRIOR TO AIRTIME!" Trump tweeted.

  • "This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about. Everyone should compare this terrible Electoral Intrusion with the recent interviews of Sleepy Joe Biden!"

Context: Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were participating in a "60 Minutes" episode with host Lesley Stahl set to air on Sunday. Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris are expected to be featured in the same episode with CBS host Norah O'Donnell.

  • CNN and the New York Times reported on Tuesday that the interview was at times combative, and that the president declined to participate in a “walk and talk” segment with Stahl and Pence after ending his sit-down.
  • Trump later tweeted a video of Stahl conversing with two masked people at the taping with the caption: "Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes not wearing a mask in the White House after her interview with me. Much more to come."

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

Section2

Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.