Donald Trump will no longer be interviewed for "60 Minutes’" customary primetime election special, the network announced Tuesday, saying Trump’s team had “agreed” to a sit-down interview before they “decided not to participate.”
In a statement, Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, said “there were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in.” Cheung also said CBS “insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
A representative for CBS News, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump through a spokesperson had first accepted the interview request, followed by Vice President Kamala Harris, with the agreement being that each candidate would receive two segments in the broadcast of equal time.
According to CBS News, after accepting "60 Minutes’" request for Trump to be interviewed by Scott Pelley, a campaign spokesperson notified the show on Tuesday that Trump would not sit for an interview with the broadcast. The special is set to air Monday, and Harris’ interview will still be shown, the network said in a statement.
Asked about the situation at a press conference Tuesday evening in Milwaukee, Trump said he was “waiting for an apology” from CBS News, citing reporting from the network on Hunter Biden’s laptop and crime rates.
Trump said he “wouldn’t mind” doing the interview, and said he had previously been interviewed twice by former "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace, but reiterated that he expects an “apology” from the network.
The representative for CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump demanding an apology, nor about whether a time for the interview had already been set.
“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,” CBS said in a statement.
CBS said Pelley “will address” the Trump campaign’s decision on the issue during the special at 8 p.m. Monday evening.
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