Trump demands 60 Minutes release the FULL transcript of Kamala Harris interview
Donald Trump is demanding that CBS release the full, unedited transcript of his interview with Kamala Harris, amid controversy over the removal of her “word salad” from a 60 Minutes interview.
The former president accused the network of trying to make his Democratic competitor look more “presidential” and accused them of committing a “campaign finance violation” by positively editing the 2024 hopeful’s clip.
The 60 Minutes interview with Harris aired Monday night, and the network posted the episode to the show’s official YouTube page. But X users were quick to point out that at least one question had been edited to change her answer in the YouTube version.
Trump demanded that CBS News issue a public apology.
CBS News and parent company Paramount Global did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com about the decision-making behind the edited clip.
CBS News is facing massive backlash, including from Trump, after the network edited a “word salad” response from Kamala Harris in her 60 Minutes interview to reportedly portray her more positively
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s national press secretary, said in a statement Tuesday night, “Why did 60 Minutes choose not to air Kamala’s entire word salad, and what else did they not air?”
“The American people deserve the complete, unedited transcript of Kamala’s sit-down interview. We’re calling on 60 Minutes and CBS to release it. What do she and Kamala have to hide?’ she added.
She called Harris’ response to 60 Minutes host Bill Whitaker “idiotic.”
Host Bill Whitaker asked Harris whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu listened to the US and whether the administration had any influence over the Jewish state’s decision-making in its conflict with Hamas terrorists operating from Gaza.
“Well Bill, the work that we’ve done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much motivated by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to be done in the region,” Harris responded .
Her answer was peppered with long pauses and hesitant phrasing.
Social media erupted with conservatives unhappy with the non-response and speaking out about their criticism of the VP’s “word salad” on X.
One user asked someone to “interpret” her answer for him.
Trump says the network should publicly apologize, while his campaign demanded CBS News release the full, unedited transcript of the vice president’s interview
But after the episode aired Monday night on 60 Minutes, the version posted to YouTube of the show did not include Harris’s nonsensical response, but instead a more condensed, straightforward and confident response.
“We will not stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to make clear where we stand on the need for this war to end,” Harris said in the redacted response to Whitaker.
Pro-MAGA accounts and conservative folks on X were quick to point out the change.
“I’ve never seen this before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday, “but the producers of 60 Minutes cut and sliced (‘cut and pasted’) Lyin’ Kamala’s answers to questions, which were virtually incoherent… to get her out.” more presidential’, or at least better.’
“It could also be a major campaign finance violation,” he claimed.
“This is a stain on 60 Minutes’ reputation that cannot be repaired. It will always remain with this once legendary brand. I’ve never heard of something like this being done in ‘News’. It’s the definition of FAKE NEWS! The public is owed a BIG AND IMMEDIATE APOLOGY! This is an open and shut case and must be investigated from today!’
The interview aired Monday – the same day that marked the one-year anniversary of the start of the conflict in the Middle East after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and carried out the largest massacre of Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust.
In the wake of the backlash over her response to 60 Minutes, it appears CBS News has decided to edit the vice president’s response.
Harris’ media strategy has largely remained free of sit-down interviews with television networks and has leaned more toward non-traditional avenues — such as speaking to raunchy, sex-oriented podcast host Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy.
The 60 Minutes interview was one of her few extended sit-downs with a legacy television network.