For over half a century, CBS’s 60 Minutes has been a staple for presidential candidates from major parties to appear during election season. In years past, 60 Minutes has hosted top candidates, including Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey in 1968.
This year, producers arranged interviews with Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, both of whom agreed to participate.
However, last week, Trump canceled his participation. Initially, the plan was for Trump to be interviewed last Thursday at Mar-A-Lago, his Florida residence.
His team even suggested an alternate location: Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump narrowly escaped a bullet in an assassination attempt previously. The 60 Minutes team agreed, and the arrangements seemed to be falling into place.
On September 9, Trump’s communications director, Steven Cheung, sent a text stating he was working with the advance team to assess the logistics for the Butler interview. Days later, Cheung confirmed over the phone that Trump had agreed to the interview.
Then, at the last moment a week ago, Trump backed out. His team provided shifting explanations. Initially, they expressed concern that 60 Minutes would fact-check the interview, which they claimed was unprecedented.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Cheung stated, “There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on live fact-checking, which has never been done before.”
In reality, 60 Minutes has always fact-checked the stories they broadcast as part of their effort to maintain accuracy and transparency with viewers.
Later, Trump said he wanted an apology for his 2020 interview. He claimed that Lesley Stahl, who interviewed him back then, stated that Hunter Biden’s controversial laptop came from Russia—a statement Stahl never made.
During a press conference in Milwaukee, Trump said, “They were wrong on everything. So I’d like to get an apology. I’ve asked them for an apology.”
Trump also criticized Vice President Harris, claiming she is incapable of handling interviews on her own. He declined to participate in a second debate with her.
As a result, the Monday night election special could have been the last opportunity for voters to hear from both candidates on critical issues, from the economy, immigration, reproductive rights, to the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe.
Both campaigns understood that the special would proceed, regardless of whether one of the candidates withdrew. Harris, who did participate in the 60 Minutes interview, shared her thoughts on Trump’s decision to withdraw.
Harris suggested that Trump’s refusal to participate was an irresponsible move towards voters.
“If he is not going to give your viewers the ability to have a meaningful, thoughtful conversation with you, then watch his rallies,” she said. “You’re going to hear conversations that are mostly about himself and his personal grievances.”
By not participating, Trump not only missed a rare opportunity to speak on his policies before a national audience but also left questions about his commitment to delivering his election message to the public.
His supporters argue that he did not want to face potentially challenging questions from 60 Minutes, while others criticize his decision as an irresponsible evasion.
The 60 Minutes special will air with Harris’s interview, and she has emphasized that the American public deserves a complete and open discussion from those they are considering for leadership.
This election season will continue to be filled with twists and turns, and Trump’s decision has added another layer of drama to the ongoing campaign.
