Read: Trump transcript on crypto corruption claims that "60 Minutes" cut
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President Trump in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last month. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
A tense moment from President Trump's "60 Minutes" interview involving questioning on crypto corruption accusations that was cut from the show has been revealed in the full transcript that CBS published online.
Why it matters: The segment that was edited out of both the 28-minute show that aired Sunday and the extended version prompted Democrats to suggest that the FCC should investigate the cut for possible "news distortion" — a nod to Trump's since-settled lawsuit over the show's editing of an interview with then-Vice President Harris.
State of play: The exchange during the 90-minute interview came at the end of CBS' Norah O'Donnell's questioning of Trump about pardoning Binance crypto exchange founder Changpeng Zhao, to which the president initially said: "I don't know who he is."
- Trump noted that his "sons are involved in crypto much more" than he is and emphasized the importance of the industry and the U.S. being the No. 1 leader in it when O'Donnell put the corruption question to him.
Of note: CBS' post of the extended, 73-minute version on YouTube notes that the interview "was condensed for clarity."
Read the transcript of the omitted segment below:
O'DONNELL: So not concerned about the appearance of corruption with this?
TRUMP: I can't say, because — I can't say — I'm not concerned. I don't — I'd rather not have you ask the question. But I let you ask it. You just came to me and you said, "Can I ask another question?" And I said, yeah. This is the question —
O'DONNELL: And you answered —
TRUMP: I don't mind. Did I let you do it? I coulda walked away. I didn't have to answer this question. I'm proud to answer the question. You know why? We've taken crypto —
O'DONNELL: But just generally speak —
TRUMP: Excuse me. We're number one in crypto in the whole world. Other people wanna be. They're fighting like hell to be. But we're number one in crypto because I'm the president. Biden wanted to also, at the very end, you know, he totally switched his thing.
- You know, Biden was totally in favor of crypto at the end. Do you know that many people that were indicted under Biden for crypto, at the very end before the election, were let go? You know why? He wanted the vote. We are number one in crypto and that's the only thing I care about. I don't want China or anybody else to take it away. It's a massive industry.
O'DONNELL: Mr. President, thank you.
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
What they're saying: FCC Chair Brendan Carr said on X in response to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) suggestion that he might file a complaint over the edited "60 Minutes" segment: "Due to the Schumer Shutdown, even your frivolous filing could not be processed by the FCC."
- White House spokesperson Steven Cheung told Axios earlier that Trump "gave a powerhouse interview for over an hour that covered a wide range of topics, including the historic 10 months America has had under his leadership."
- CBS' parent Paramount Global said after agreeing to settle Trump's suit for $16 million that the show would in the future release interview transcripts "with eligible U.S. presidential candidates" after broadcast, "subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns."
- Representatives for CBS did not immediately respond to Axios' Monday evening request for comment.
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