Trump rejects "60 Minutes" interview; Harris accepts
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Earlier "60 Minutes" interviews. Photos: CBS News
Former President Trump turned down a "60 Minutes" offer of back-to-back conversations with both presidential nominees, with his campaign saying he didn't want interruptions for fact checks.
- Vice President Harris will appear on the show, airing Oct. 7. "60 Minutes," the highest-rated news program on TV, says the invitation to Trump stands.
Why it matters: With Trump saying it's "too late" for another debate with Harris, the show could have been a final chance for both candidates to reach a mass audience, 29 days before Election Day.
Between the lines: CBS says Trump accepted, then pulled out. Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign communications director, told Axios:
- "There were discussions but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They insisted on cutting out of the interview to do fact-checking."
What they're saying: "60 Minutes is scheduled to air a primetime election special on a Monday edition of the broadcast on October 7 at 8PM," the show tweeted as a "programming note" three hours before the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday night.
- "For over half a century, 60 Minutes has invited the Democratic and Republican tickets to appear on our broadcast as Americans head to the polls."
A "60 Minutes" spokesperson added: "This year, both the Harris and Trump campaigns agreed to sit down with 60 Minutes. Vice President Harris will speak with correspondent Bill Whitaker. After initially accepting 60 Minutes' request for an interview with Scott Pelley, former President Trump's campaign has decided not to participate. Pelley will address this Monday evening."
- "Our election special will broadcast the Harris interview on Monday as planned. Our original invitation to former President Donald Trump to be interviewed on 60 Minutes stands."
What we're hearing: According to CBS News, the agreement "was that each candidate would receive two segments in the broadcast (equal time each, half of the broadcast)."
- "60 Minutes" is scheduled to interview Harris and film her on the campaign trail this week. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is expected to participate in the interview.
The intrigue: Trump also had a dispute over fact-checking before he was interviewed onstage last month at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention in Chicago.
- The Trump campaign said CBS wouldn't give assurances the candidates would be fact-checked equally. CBS wouldn't comment on that.
Axios' Sara Fischer contributed reporting.
