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

The CBS News show 60 Minutes heavily edited a conversation featuring the former president that aired on Sunday evening, representing the initial one-on-one with the program since 2019.

Trump spoke with correspondent Norah O’Donnell for 90 minutes, but only about half an hour aired on television. The full text version from the discussion was later released, alongside a 73-minute digital cut from the interview.

The edits are notable because, precisely 12 months prior to the president's appearance on the program at his Mar-a-Lago resort, he had sued the network over post-production changes from another news program segment featuring the vice president, which he alleged had been manipulated to help her campaign during the race.

While many attorneys widely dismissed the legal action as “meritless” and unlikely to succeed on free speech grounds, the broadcaster settled with Trump for $16m in July. As part of the settlement, CBS committed to publish full records from upcoming discussions of presidential candidates.

At the beginning of the broadcast, O’Donnell informed the audience that Paramount settled the legal dispute, but noted that the resolution did not include any admission or admission of wrongdoing”.

During the interview, in a clip omitted from broadcast, Trump teased the network over the settlement and repeated his allegations against the network.

“Actually 60 Minutes gave me a substantial sum. And you don’t have to put this on, since I do not wish to cause you discomfort, and I’m sure you’re not,” the president stated. “However 60 Minutes had to pay me a large amount since they removed her answer out that was so bad, it was election-changing, 48 hours prior to voting. They inserted a different response in. They compensated me a lot of money for that. You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have truthful journalism. I believe this is occurring.”

In a separate segment not broadcast from the discussion, Trump praised the acquisition of CBS to the Ellison family noting the network’s new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, was a “excellent addition”.

Trump said he didn’t know the editor, but told the interviewer: “People say she’s a great person.

“In my view you have a great new leader, frankly, that individual that’s leading your whole enterprise, is a great – from what I know,” he said.

The president was especially enthusiastic in praising the executive and his parent, Larry, the new owner of the network's parent firm, Paramount, via their firm Skydance.

“I think a very positive development to happen is this show and the change in ownership, the network and new ownership,” the president said. “I think it’s the greatest thing that has occurred for years toward a transparent and good press.”

O’Donnell offered no direct reply to the president’s comments about Weiss and the Ellisons.

Among Trump’s many answers which were cut were several comments doubting the legitimacy of the last election, which he described “had been manipulated and stolen”.

At one point in the conversation, in a segment that was not aired, Trump tried to get the journalist to admit that crime was down in the capital, where she lives.

“You live here. You are aware of this,” the president said, inquiring of the correspondent: “Do you see any change?”

“I think I have been occupied excessively,” O’Donnell responded. “I have not gotten outside often … I drive and go to work and I go home.”

The president responded “that is an evasion” maintaining that O’Donnell had observed a difference.

Trump then implied that the back-and-forth need not be included in the program.

“It is unnecessary to include that part,” he noted. “No concerns, it's fine, I don’t want to embarrass her.”