CBS News says Trump is dropping out of ‘60 Minutes’ interview after accepting invitation

NEW YORK —  Former President Trump is pulling out of a planned interview with the CBS News magazine program “60 Minutes.”

CBS planned to devote a full hour special on Monday to interviews with both Trump and his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. But the network’s news division announced Tuesday that Trump is no longer willing to participate.

“After accepting ‘60 Minutes’’ request to be interviewed by Scott Pelley, a campaign spokesperson notified ‘60 Minutes’ today that former President Trump would not sit for an interview with the broadcast,” a network representative said in a statement.

CBS News said the invitation to Trump still stands. Harris is scheduled to sit for an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker this week.

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Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung posted on X: “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”

If Trump does not change his mind again, Pelley will report on the candidate’s decision not to appear during the telecast.

“60 Minutes” is the most-watched news program on television and is often the most watched prime-time show of the week outside of NFL football telecasts.

The program has a long tradition of presenting a lengthy interview with the major party presidential candidates in the weeks before the November election. Trump did appear with “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl during his 2020 campaign.

Both candidates in the 2024 White House race have limited their interviews with most major media outlets. Trump has appeared frequently on the conservative-leaning Fox News, but mostly with the network’s commentators who support him. Harris last appeared with MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle, who supports the vice president’s candidacy. Her other national news interview was with Dana Bash on CNN.