President Donald Trump abruptly ended a taped interview at the White House with “60 Minutes” reporter Lesley Stahl on Tuesday then taunted the veteran CBS News journalist in tweets.
“I am pleased to inform you that, for the sake of accuracy in reporting, I am considering posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, PRIOR TO AIRTIME! This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about,” the president tweeted. He also called the interview a ” terrible Electoral Intrusion” in another tweet.
He then posted a short video making light of Stahl not wearing a mask while talking with producers for the show while at the White House, which a spokesman for CBS News was taken immediately after the interview. She previously had been wearing a mask when she entered the building and up to the start of the interview.
The spokesman also said the White House had agreed the interview was being taped purely for archival purposes.
“You have to watch what we do to 60 Minutes,” Trump said early at rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday night. “You’ll get such a kick out of it, you’re going to get a kick out of it. Lesley Stahl is not going to be happy.”
One source told NBC News that the president and Stahl spoke on-camera for more than 40 minutes. The president, during what the source called a “natural breaking point in the conversation,” told Stahl: “I think you have what you need.”
The interview was described by the source as “testy at times.”
“He gave them more than 45 minutes for a show that’s one hour and will also feature an interview with Pence, Harris, and Biden. They went way over, so he wrapped and didn’t do the walk-and-talk,” another source told NBC News.
The interview is set to air this Sunday on CBS.
