CBS News Significantly Trims Donald Trump's 60 Minutes Interview, Removing Claim Regarding Broadcaster Paying The President Substantial Money

The broadcast network program the long-running news magazine significantly trimmed a conversation featuring Donald Trump that aired Sunday night, representing his first one-on-one with the program in five years.

The former president spoke alongside journalist the CBS anchor over an hour and a half, yet merely approximately half an hour aired on television. A complete text version from the discussion was later released, alongside a 73-minute online version from the interview.

These cuts stand out because, precisely 12 months before Trump's appearance with O’Donnell at his Mar-a-Lago resort, he filed suit against CBS over the editing from another 60 Minutes segment featuring the vice president, claiming it was deceptively edited to benefit her campaign in the presidential election.

Although many legal experts largely rejected the legal action calling it baseless and unlikely to succeed under the first amendment, the broadcaster settled with Trump for $16m in July. Under the agreement, the network had agreed to publish transcripts from upcoming discussions of presidential candidates.

At the beginning of Sunday’s show, the correspondent reminded viewers that the parent company settled the legal dispute, adding that “the settlement lacked an apology or expression of regret”.

In the conversation, in a clip that did not air, Trump teased CBS about the agreement restating his claims toward the broadcaster.

“In fact 60 Minutes paid me a lotta money. You need not include this, since I do not wish to cause you discomfort, and I trust you’re not,” Trump stated. “However 60 Minutes had to compensate me a lot of money since they took her answer from the segment that was so bad, it was election-changing, two nights prior to voting. They inserted a different response in. And they paid me a lot of money because of it. You can’t have false reporting. You’ve gotta have truthful journalism. And I think that it’s happening.”

In a separate un-aired portion from the discussion, the president commended the acquisition of CBS to new owners and said the network’s recently appointed head, the journalist, is a “great new leader”.

Trump admitted he was not acquainted with the editor, but told O’Donnell: “I hear she is impressive.

“I think you have a great new leader, honestly, that individual that’s leading your whole enterprise, is a great – based on what I've heard,” he said.

The president was especially enthusiastic in praising the executive and his father, Larry Ellison, the recent purchaser of CBS News’ parent company, Paramount, via their firm Skydance Media.

“I think a very positive development to happen is this show and new ownership, CBS under new management,” the president commented. “I think it’s the greatest thing that has occurred in a long time to a free and open and reliable media.”

The correspondent offered no direct reply regarding these remarks about Weiss and the owners.

Among the president's responses that were edited out were multiple statements doubting the integrity of the 2020 presidential election, which he described “had been manipulated and stolen”.

At one point in the conversation, in a segment omitted from the broadcast, the president tried to get O’Donnell to admit that crime was down in the capital, where she lives.

“You live here. You are aware of this,” Trump remarked, inquiring of the correspondent: “Have you noticed a difference?”

“I believe I have been occupied excessively,” O’Donnell responded. “I have not gotten outside often … I get in my car and go to work and return home.”

Trump said “that is an evasion” and insisted that the journalist noticed a difference.

The president then implied that the exchange need not to be aired on the show.

“You don’t have to use that one,” he said. “No concerns, don’t worry, I do not wish to cause her embarrassment.”