Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has demanded that the full transcript of Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent 60 Minutes interview be released to the public, arguing that the original was “deceptively edited”.
The interview, which saw Harris sit down with CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker on Monday, saw the Democratic nominee discuss her foreign policy stances for Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as her plans for the economy and for gun ownership regulations. The interview was edited, containing several cuts.
Reacting to the interview, Trump took to social media site Truth Social to say: “The Interview on 60 Minutes with Comrade Kamala Harris is considered by many of those who reviewed it, the WORST Interview they have ever seen.
“She literally had no idea what she was talking about, and it was an embarrassment to our Country that a Major Party Candidate would be so completely inept. In addition, her Incompetence on “helping” people through the devastation of Hurricane Helene is being reviewed as, by far, the Worst in American History, even worse than Katrina – If that is possible!”
Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions during a moderated conversation with members of the National Association of Black Journalists hosted by WHYY September 17, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Getty Images
The day after the interview, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign called for a full transcript of the interview to be released, stating that the version that aired to the public was “deceptively edited”.
Trump Campaign Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the New York Post: “On Sunday, 60 Minutes teased Kamala’s highly-anticipated sit-down interview with this epic word salad that received significant criticism on social media.
“During the full interview on Monday evening, the word salad was deceptively edited to lessen Kamala’s idiotic response. Why did 60 Minutes choose not to air Kamala’s full word salad, and what else did they choose not to air?
“The American people deserve the full, unedited transcript from Kamala’s sit-down interview. We call upon 60 Minutes and CBS to release it. What do they, and Kamala, have to hide?”
Donald Trump refused to take part in a CBS interview of his own, with CBS correspondent Scott Pelley claiming that he had agreed to a sit-down only to pull out later. The Trump campaign said that no appearance on 60 Minutes was finalized.
Newsweek contacted the Trump campaign and Harris campaign for comment on the situation via email, as well as CBS News.
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