‘That is false’: ’60 Minutes’ directly challenges Trump, vigorously refutes former president’s accusation of favoritism
In an unprecedented move, CBS’s 60 Minutes asked for smoke and directly confronted former President Donald Trump’s unfounded accusations of biased editing, declaring unequivocally: “That is false.”
The show’s stance against disinformation—by such a significant purveyor of heavily fact-checked news—sets a crucial precedent for mainstream media in an era of unchecked misinformation vomited out of the unclean mouths of Trump and his acolytes.
After Vice President Kamala Harris’s interview on the program aired, Trump went onto his wobbly soapbox, Truth Social, and called the show a “giant fake news scam.” He pointed at the online peanut gallery that questioned differences in clips shown on the program and one that appeared on Face the Nation.
Per Trump in his unhinged takedown: “Her REAL ANSWER WAS CRAZY, OR DUMB, so they actually REPLACED it with another answer in order to save her or, at least, to make her look better.” CBS didn’t feel the need to do anything until Trump ridiculously called for the network to have its broadcast license removed. He’s even said he would find a way to do so, in what could only be called fascist rhetoric.
“As I’ve said before, the First Amendment is a cornerstone of our democracy,” FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said. “The FCC does not and will not revoke licenses for broadcast stations simply because a political candidate disagrees with or dislikes content or coverage.” It appears CBS had had enough.
The venerable newsmagazine’s statement meticulously dismantled Trump’s claims about their recent interview with Vice President Kamala Harris in a terse statement. “60 Minutes gave an excerpt of our interview to Face the Nation that used a longer section of her answer than that on 60 Minutes. Same question. Same answer. But a different portion of the response,” the staff explained.
Addressing the former president’s unsubstantiated concerns about fairness, 60 Minutes affirmed, “When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or a movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate, and on point.” What is critical here is that what CBS does to Trump’s rhetoric is establish a baseline for what truth is and ensure their program exists at that baseline.
The statement continued, with an appropriate undercurrent of snark, “Remember, Mr. Trump pulled out of his interview with 60 Minutes, and the vice president participated.” It highlights the show’s well-noted (sometimes problematic) willingness to engage with all political figures, regardless of party affiliation, while showing Trump’s trepidation or even cowardice.
In challenging Trump’s narrative of media bias, “60 Minutes” extended something of an olive branch, essentially saying, ‘Hey man, come onto the show. “Our long-standing invitation to former President Trump remains open. If he would like to discuss the issues facing the nation and the Harris interview, we would be happy to have him on 60 Minutes.”
The show notes broader implications of this confrontation extend beyond a single interview. By stating, “The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment,” it suggests Trump doesn’t understand how long-form broadcast journalism works, that there is a way to do TV and that 60 Minutes understands something to which he won’t concede.
The sharp show’s rebuke of Trump is especially important in an age where misinformation is scrambling and warping minds to the point of irrationality. “60 Minutes'” forthright reaction sets the standard for sloughing off deceptive claims by people seeking permanent disassociation with facts while safeguarding the public’s right to unvarnished truth. They rightly insisted that elected leaders withstand thorough scrutiny even as some shirk accountability.
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