President Donald Trump had kind words for Skydance’s takeover of Paramount and Bari Weiss’ appointment at CBS News during his first sit-down interview with “60 Minutes” in five years.
CBS News on Sunday released a transcript of the full 90-minute session with Norah O’Donnell, CBS News’ senior correspondent and a contributor to “60 Minutes.” The conversation touched on a host of topics, from international politics to ICE raids in the U.S. to the economy and healthcare police to the federal government shutdown. The interview was recorded Oct. 31 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. Highlights from the interview aired Sunday on “60 Minutes.”
The session also marks the first time Trump has returned to CBS News for an interview since the network’s parent company reached at $16 million settlement in a lawsuit that Trump filed against the venerable news magazine. CBS’ previous owner, Paramount Communications, wrote the check under pressure as it sought to close the $8 billion Skydance Media transaction. Trump’s baseless claims that “60 Minutes” doctored then-candidate Kamala Harris’ responses in a manner that damaged Trump would have been easily beaten on the legal merits in court, legal experts agree, but the previous Paramount ownership regime buckled under extraordinary pressure brought by President Trump and FCC chairman Brendan Carr.
” ’60 Minutes’ paid me a lotta money. And you don’t have to put this on, because I don’t wanna embarrass you, and I’m sure you’re not– you have a great– I think you have a great, new leader, frankly, who’s the young woman that’s leading your whole enterprise is a great– from what I know,” Trump said, referring to the appointment last month of Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
“I don’t know her, but I hear she’s a great person. But ’60 Minutes’ was forced to pay me– a lot of money because they took her answer out that was so bad, it was election-changing, two nights before the election. And they put a new answer in. And they paid me a lot of money for that. You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have legit news. And I think that it’s happening. I see …I see good things happening in the news. I really do. And I think one of the best things to happen is this show and new ownership, CBS and new ownership. I think it’s the greatest thing that’s happened in a long time to a free and open and good press,” Trump said.
O’Donnell also questioned Trump about the conflicts of his role as Commander in Chief and his family investments and marketing of Trump-branded crypto currencies.
“I wanna make crypto great for America. That’s the only thing. I don’t wanna have somebody else have crypto and have China be number one in the world in crypto,” Trump said. “Because in crypto it’s a kind of an industry where basically you’re going to have number one and you’re not gonna have a number two. And right now we’re number one by a long shot. I wanna keep it that way. The same way we’re number one with AI, we’re number one with crypto. And I wanna keep it that way.”
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Asked point-blank about the Trump family crypto activity, Trump was dismissive. “I can’t say, because– I can’t say– I’m not concerned. I don’t– I’d rather not have you ask the question. But I let you ask it. You just came to me and you said, “Can I ask another question?” And I said, yeah. This is the question–.”
Much of the interview was devoted to O’Donnell’s questions about the president’s views on geopolitical hot spots and challenges the U.S. faces in dealing with Russia, China, Israel, Venezuela and other unpredictable situations.
When it came to discussing economic issues at home, Trump brought his usual bravado and side-stepped O’Donnell’s efforts to press him on any specifics.
“We’re doing very well. By the way, the stock market just hit — perfect timing for your show, just hit an all-time high. It’s hit an all-time high 48 times during the course of my — nine-month period. But just yesterday, the stock market hit an all-time high. We’re doing really well, and everybody knows it,” Trump said.
He blamed his White House predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama for myriad problems including the continuing high price of groceries.
“It was a dead country, and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world. We have the strongest stock market, we have everybody wants to come in. A year ago we were a dead country. Right now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world. Think of that. And I did that in nine months. And it’s only gonna get better,” Trump said.
O’Donnell pressed Trump on the issue of Justice Department’s recent indictments of Trump’s political foes, including New York state Attorney General Leticia James and former FBI chief James Comey.
“I think I’ve been very mild-mannered. You’re looking at a man who was indicted many times, and I had to beat the rap,” Trump told O’Donnell.
On the subject of the brutal ICE raids in Los Angeles, Chicago and other major cities that have shocked the nation, including some prominent Trump supporters, the president was unbowed.
“I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama,” Trump said. O’Donnell asked explicitly if he approved of violent actions taken by heavily masked law enforcement officials in workplaces, schools and courthouses. Trump left no question of where he stands. “Because you have to get the people out,” he said.
On the state of the government shutdown, now heading into its 33rd day, Trump said Republicans “keep voting” despite the fact that House Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the House in recess for most of the shutdown to date.
“What we’re doing is we keep voting. I mean, the Republicans are voting almost unanimously to end it, and the Democrats keep voting against ending it. You know, they’ve never had this. This has happened like 18 times before,” Trump said. “The Democrats always voted for an extension, always saying, ‘Give us an extension, we’ll work it out.’ They’ve lost their way. They’ve become crazed lunatics. And all they have to do, Norah, is say, ‘Let’s vote.’ “
On the subject of the ceasefire in Gaza that Trump helped bring about last month, he disputed O’Donnell’s suggestion that the situation is “fragile.” He threatened to use force against Hamas terrorists if need be.
“Hamas could be taken out immediately if they don’t behave. They know that. If they don’t behave, they’re going to be taken out immediately,” Trump said.
From Variety US