The Network Heavily Edits Donald Trump's TV Program Sit-Down, Omitting Boast Regarding Broadcaster Compensating The President Large Money

This broadcast network show 60 Minutes significantly edited a conversation with the former president broadcast Sunday night, marking his first one-on-one with the program in five years.

Trump spoke alongside journalist the CBS anchor over an hour and a half, yet merely approximately 28 minutes aired on television. The full text version from the discussion subsequently published, together with an extended digital cut of the conversation.

The edits are notable because, exactly one year before the president's interview on the program at his Mar-a-Lago resort, he had sued CBS over post-production changes from another 60 Minutes segment featuring Kamala Harris, claiming it was deceptively edited to benefit her chances in the presidential election.

Although numerous legal experts widely dismissed the lawsuit as “meritless” and improbable to hold up under the first amendment, CBS reached an agreement with Trump for millions this past summer. As part of the agreement, CBS had agreed that it would publish transcripts of future interviews of presidential candidates.

At the beginning of Sunday’s show, O’Donnell reminded viewers that Paramount resolved the legal dispute, adding that the resolution did not include an apology or expression of regret”.

In the conversation, in a clip that did not air, the president needled the network about the agreement restating his claims toward the broadcaster.

“Actually the program gave me a substantial sum. And you don’t have to put this on, because I don’t wanna embarrass you, and I’m sure you’re not,” the president stated. “But the show had to compensate me a large amount since they took Harris’s response from the segment that was so bad, it was election-changing, two nights prior to voting. And they put a different response in. And they paid me a lot of money because of it. You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have truthful journalism. And I think this is occurring.”

In a separate segment not broadcast from the discussion, the president praised the sale of CBS to the Ellison family and said the network’s recently appointed head, Bari Weiss, is a “great new leader”.

Trump admitted he was not acquainted with Weiss, but told the interviewer: “People say she is impressive.

“I think you have a talented director, honestly, that individual that’s leading your whole enterprise, is a great – based on what I've heard,” he said.

The president was particularly enthusiastic in complimenting David Ellison and his father, Larry Ellison, the recent purchaser of CBS News’ parent company, Paramount Global, through their company Skydance Media.

“I think one of the best things recently involves this program and the change in ownership, CBS and new ownership,” the president commented. “I believe it is a major improvement that’s happened for years to a free and open and reliable media.”

The correspondent offered no direct reply regarding these remarks about Weiss and the Ellisons.

Among Trump’s many answers which were cut were several comments questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, which he described “had been manipulated and stolen”.

During one exchange in the interview, in a segment omitted from the broadcast, the president tried to get O’Donnell to admit that crime was down in the capital, where she lives.

“You reside in DC. You know that too,” Trump said, inquiring of O’Donnell: “Have you noticed a difference?”

“I believe I have been occupied too hard,” she responded. “I have not gotten out and about often … I drive and go to work and return home.”

Trump said “that’s not a fair answer” maintaining that O’Donnell had observed a difference.

Trump then seemed to suggest that the exchange didn’t need to be aired on the show.

“You don’t have to use that one,” he noted. “Don’t worry, it's fine, I don’t want to cause her embarrassment.”