CBS News Heavily Edits Trump's TV Program Sit-Down, Removing Boast About Network Paying Him Large Funds

The CBS News show 60 Minutes heavily edited an interview featuring the former president that aired on Sunday evening, marking the initial sit-down on the show in five years.

The former president spoke alongside journalist the CBS anchor over an hour and a half, but only approximately half an hour were broadcast. A complete text version of the interview subsequently published, together with a 73-minute digital cut of the conversation.

The edits are notable because, precisely 12 months before the president's interview with O’Donnell in Florida, he filed suit against the network regarding post-production changes from another news program interview featuring the vice president, claiming it had been deceptively edited to benefit her chances during the race.

While many legal experts largely rejected the legal action calling it baseless and improbable to hold up under the first amendment, the broadcaster reached an agreement with the president for $16m in July. As part of the agreement, CBS committed that it would release transcripts of future interviews of presidential candidates.

During the opening of Sunday’s show, O’Donnell informed the audience that Paramount resolved the legal dispute, but noted that “the settlement lacked any admission or expression of regret”.

In the conversation, in a clip omitted from broadcast, Trump needled CBS over the settlement and repeated his claims toward the broadcaster.

“In fact the program paid me a lotta money. You need not include this, since I do not wish to cause you discomfort, and I trust that you are not,” Trump said. “However the show was forced to compensate me a lot of money since they took Harris’s response out which was damaging, it was election-changing, two nights prior to voting. And they put a new answer in. They compensated me handsomely because of it. We cannot tolerate false reporting. We must have truthful journalism. And I think this is occurring.”

During another segment not broadcast of the interview, the president commended the sale of the network to the Ellison family and said the network’s recently appointed head, Bari Weiss, is a “great new leader”.

Trump admitted he was not acquainted with Weiss, but told the interviewer: “People say she’s a great person.

“In my view you have a great new leader, frankly, who’s the young woman now heading your entire organization, is superb – from what I know,” he said.

The president was particularly effusive in complimenting David Ellison and his parent, Larry Ellison, the recent purchaser of CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, through their company Skydance Media.

“In my opinion one of the best things to happen is this show and new ownership, the network and new ownership,” Trump said. “I think it is a major improvement that has occurred in a long time toward a transparent and reliable media.”

The correspondent did not directly respond to the president’s comments about Weiss and the owners.

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

During one exchange in the interview, in a segment omitted from the broadcast, Trump tried to get the journalist to admit that crime was down in the capital, where she lives.

“You reside in DC. You are aware of this,” the president said, asking O’Donnell: “Have you noticed a difference?”

“I think I have been occupied excessively,” O’Donnell responded. “I haven’t been out and about that much … I get in my car and go to work and I go home.”

Trump responded “that’s not a fair answer” maintaining that the journalist had observed an improvement.

The president then seemed to suggest that the exchange need not to be aired in the program.

“It is unnecessary to use that one,” he said. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I don’t want to cause her embarrassment.”