It is difficult to find a traditional news platform with more legitimacy and pull like “60 Minutes.” The CBS News show began its iconic rise in 1968 because it was so far ahead of its time. Instead of dryly blasting down a litany of the top stories of the day the show instead used its own investigations and the consequent deep dives over the twenty minutes that we know to count. Since then the show used its increasing power to interview both major party candidates. They first interviewed Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. This year was to be the same with interviews of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump with an in-depth probing segment, fact-checked, and then presented in a special broadcast on Monday night. Yet again, though – Donald Trump has broken the long mold and did so based on typical protestations.
As we’ve come to expect, Trump wanted to use the show as a vehicle to propel his personal grievances. Unsurprisingly, he wanted to condition the interview on the show broadcasting an apology for a matter arising out of coverage from the last election in 2020. It was an exceedingly odd request and not just because “60 Minutes” denied Trump’s claim but because the show had already agreed to the Trump Campaign’s initial specific conditions. As reporter Scott Pelley detailed in airing the campaign’s logistical demands.
The Trump campaign had told us that the interview would be this past Thursday at Mar-a-Lago. They also asked us whether we would meet 78-year-old Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was grazed in an assassination attempt. We agreed.
It is unusual to ask that the interview occur over days (The Butler PA trip was on Saturday), but the request to go back to the location of the horrific assassination attempt would be an entirely reasonable demand given the uniquely awful events that occurred there. It is easy to see why Trump would demand that the show come to Mar-a-Lago, too – campaign’s are hectic and the show should probably accommodate them despite the free opportunity to highlight Trump’s campaign. So not all that bad a start even if sort of unusual. Initially Trump agreed:
On September 9th, Trump’s Communications Director Steven Cheung sent a text that said, quote, “I’m working with our advance team to see logistically if Butler would work in addition to the sit-down.” ‘Sit-down’ meaning the interview in Florida.
It was all planned. This would be one of the last opportunities to reach a massive audience side by side with Harris. Trump refused CNN’s invitation to do a second debate in late October so the show would operate as an unofficial contest. Trump could go over why he was the better candidate and all the reasons that people should vote for him. It seemed to be set. Except Trump then started to condition the interview on substantive matters, not the when and where it previously demanded:
Days later, Cheung called to say, quote, “The president said, ‘Yes.’” Then, a week ago, Trump backed out. The campaign offered shifting explanations. 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.
The cancellation is stunning. It would surely have been the show’s biggest audience this year – perhaps any year except for previous presidential election sit-downs. It is almost impossible to understand given the price and reach of ad rates.
The fact-check shouldn’t be an issue because Trump himself would have an opportunity to point out any past issues with its own assertions regarding facts and let it play out. Of course, there is the other quaint notion that if Trump would stick to the facts its a non-issue. Either way, Trump would have an opportunity to both speak to the issue and then complain later on if he disagreed.
It gets a bit weirder in that the campaign seemed to wanted the interview itself as a commercial”
Trump has said his opponent doesn’t do interviews because she can’t handle them. He had previously declined another debate with Harris. So, tonight may have been the largest audience for the candidates between now and election day.
Stating that Harris cannot handle interviews just before pulling out of the interview himself – and having Harris go through with the interview, makes Trump look exceedingly bad in his absence – this looks like a guy trying to lose. Harris would face the exact same interview style with fact checks and probing questions about the issues of the day – immigration, the economy, and international affairs as a few examples. Last, both campaigns knew that if either one backed out that the show would go ahead with an interview of the other.
By refusing “60 Minutes” for whatever reason propelling Trump’s inner-fury resulted in his conspicuous absent. He knew the show had to explain the circumstances or it would appear that they were playing favorites. This was to act as an unofficial last debate and Trump managed to lose it with greater force than the September shellacking. Making it worse is the fact that he looks scared in this loss.
For a man who used to love any platform he could use to speak and shout this is jaw-dropping and indicative of something. Is Trump convinced he can run on his record and that’s it? Or with a tougher Harris campaign is he just scared?
God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and @JasonMiciak
Cluck, cluck, cluck chicken-shit.
How his magat supporters can even IMAGINE this fool is manly and brave, even in their wildest hallucinations, will always be a mystery. I’ve never seen someone so cowardly EVER.
The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1.
Fact checkers are only a problem for people who don’t have any.
When all you have is lies, the truth is an enemy.