Trump 60 Minutes Interview: Denial and Contradiction After Midterms
Donald Trump gave his first extended interview to 60 Minutes since the midterms went badly for him, and told the programme that the candidates would have fared better had his own name appeared on the voting slip. In the Trump 60 Minutes interview, he said voters' poor opinion of the economy came down to "bad messaging."
He also offered several different explanations for how he came to earn $3 billion since his second term began, which fed the corruption narrative that weighed so heavily with voters at the polls.
Correspondent Ross Douthat did, however, draw an admission from the president that his approach to deporting people "might be too tough."
In the period since the electoral rout, Trump has appeared to swing between a kind of calm acceptance of the outcome and flashes of defiance. On the evening the results came in, he congratulated the Democrats, yet he has also reposted many election conspiracy theories.
Immigration Shift and Stephen Miller's Promotion
The Friday morning interview touched on collaborating with Democrats to reform the immigration system, and on the possibility that certain migrants could be given legal status. About an hour later, he announced that Stephen Miller, the figure behind his mass-deportation drive, would be the new White House chief of staff, succeeding Susie Wiles.
Douthat questioned Trump with real skill across a range of subjects, cutting in on occasion and probing further on others. He reached ground that numerous other interviewers had not, the afterlife being one example.
Since the midterm defeats, Trump has talked to journalists and given CNN a telephone interview. Yet the Trump 60 Minutes interview demonstrated that nothing compares with a face-to-face, one-on-one conversation.
Corruption Questions Over World Liberty Financial
This was especially true when Douthat put corruption allegations to Trump, above all those concerning his holding in World Liberty Financial.
“So your son manages or helps manage a cryptocurrency company called World Liberty Financial….You are co-owner of that company.”
“That’s correct,” Trump responded.
Douthat replied that the firm's shareholders also include backers with ties to the United Arab Emirates government. He argued that if the very same story involved the Biden family, with Joe Biden co-owning a company that drew a great many Middle Eastern funds, a listener would judge it to look corrupt, he said.
Douthat then added, “Why is this different?”
Trump said, “I’m gonna tell you why. Because I know nothing about it.”
Douthat also pointed out that Trump “could just walk away from that and then you would not be accused of corruption.”
Trump replied, “My sons run the company. It’s hard to say to them, ‘Don’t do anything anymore for four years because I’m president.'”
Douthat went on pressing Trump about whether he believed that the overseas government-linked backers of World Liberty were attempting to purchase sway.
Trump eventually answered that every president “has a problem,” and even brought up George Washington. In the extended cut of the conversation, he also pointed to Barack Obama's Netflix deal, saying that he “got $100 million to make a movie.”
Douthat said that "What Obama did after his presidency was different," though Trump maintained the opposite.
Trump's Verdict on the Midterms and the Press
Assessing the midterms, Trump conceded that the Iran war had pushed up fuel prices and that there is "a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel." Yet he gave little indication of shouldering much responsibility himself, arguing that "if I was on the ballot, it would've been a much different situation because you saw the level of popularity and love… We had massive rallies." At many of those events, he urged voters to behave as though his name were on the ballot.
The press also came in for criticism. On subjects such as jobs figures, he complained, "the press doesn't cover positive news for Republicans." (To set the record straight, Deadline, like numerous other outlets, reported on the latest employment report released on Friday.)
Douthat said, “You and the media, you and our business have been in tension throughout your career. But you still won elections, right?… So why couldn’t you win this time?”
“I think it was bad messaging,” Trump said.
"I Do Hate Some of My Enemies"
The interview closed with questions about whether Trump expected to be admitted to paradise and whether he was able to forgive those who oppose him.
“The answer is no. I want to be honest, no,” Trump said.
“Before the judgment throne of God?” Douthat said.
Trump said, “Before the judgment. No, I think they were very bad people and … I can use the word hate, I do hate some of my enemies.”
Douthat then pressed him directly. "Mr. President. You have had the most charmed and remarkable life of any American in my entire lifetime, and you are telling me that before the judgment throne of God you couldn't find it in your heart to forgive some of your enemies? After all that's been given to you? Come on. Help me out here."
Trump said he could not. “I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some of my enemies and I always will.”
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