“President Donald Trump caused a fuss on Tuesday about his upcoming interview on “60 Minutes,” reportedly leaving the set early and then complaining about it online. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spent the day participating in the CBS show’s episode, which is set to air on Sunday, just over a week until the election. The episode is also expected to feature interviews with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). The president abruptly stopped his interview at the White House with the show’s star, Lesley Stahl, after he had become irritated with her line of questioning, two people familiar with the situation told The New York Times. Trump reportedly spent more than 45 minutes filming with Stahl and her crew, but cut the interview short when the taping didn’t finish when aides had expected it to. The president then declined to participate in a “walk and talk” segment with Stahl and Pence, according to the Times. Soon afterward, Trump tweeted a six-second video clip appearing to show Stahl at the White House post-interview. The president, who went maskless even when he had COVID-19, tweeted that Stahl was “not wearing a mask in the White House after her interview with me. Much more to come.” Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes not wearing a mask in the White House after her interview with me. Much more to come. pic.twitter.com/0plZG6a4fH— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2020 According to the Times, Stahl wore a mask at the White House right up until the start of her taping with Trump, including when she first greeted him. The video Trump posted shows the anchor conferring with two masked CBS producers immediately after the interview ended. The CBS crew had been tested for the coronavirus before entering the White House on Tuesday, the paper reported. Stahl has interviewed Trump twice since the beginning of his presidency, including his first televised interview after winning the election. She also filmed with the president at the White House in October 2018. The anchor was hospitalized with COVID-19 in the spring and has since recovered. After the Times reported Trump’s walkout, the president posted another tweet about the interview. “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,” he wrote, giving no hints at when specifically he would release footage and whose footage it would be. Trump also tweeted that everyone “should compare this terrible Electoral Intrusion” to recent interviews of Biden. It’s unclear what the president means by “electoral intrusion.” The former vice president taped his interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell on Monday. He has not yet tweeted about it.
