CBS News Issues Statement Over Interview
In a brewing controversy involving CBS News and former President Donald Trump, the network fired back at Trump’s accusation that 60 Minutes had deceitfully edited an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris to make her appear more coherent. Trump, who has been vocal about his disdain for the media, charged CBS with tampering with Harris’ responses during the October 7 interview, a claim CBS has labeled as “false.”
The accusation came after CBS aired two different segments from the same interview with Harris across their shows 60 Minutes and Face the Nation. The discrepancy involved Harris’ response to a question regarding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which on Face the Nation included a longer, criticized “word salad” answer, while 60 Minutes opted for a more succinct version.
Trump’s team seized on this as evidence of selective editing, calling it a deliberate effort to “cover up” what they deemed to be an incoherent answer from the vice president.
In a statement, CBS firmly rejected Trump’s claims, explaining that while the same question was asked in both segments, the 60 Minutes version was edited for brevity in order to cover more topics in the 21-minute-long interview. The network defended its editing process, stating, “When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point.” CBS maintained that the different versions of Harris’ answer were not evidence of deceit but an editorial choice.
However, the Trump campaign was quick to respond, insisting that CBS had essentially admitted to doing what Trump had accused them of. In a statement, Trump’s team reiterated their call for CBS to release the full, unedited transcript of the interview, accusing the network of intentionally making Harris “sound less incoherent than she really was.” They framed CBS’ statement as an “admission” rather than a denial, continuing their criticism of the network as being hopelessly biased.
Adding fuel to the fire, Trump addressed the controversy during an interview with Fox News’ Howard Kurtz, where he blasted CBS for replacing what he described as Harris’ “horrible, incompetent answer” with a shorter, more polished response.
Trump claimed this was part of a broader effort by liberal media outlets to protect Harris and ensure she appears more competent on the national stage, particularly as she navigates her presidential campaign. He went so far as to call for CBS to lose its broadcasting license, accusing the network of election interference and branding the incident “a giant Fake News Scam.”
The controversy doesn’t stop there. Conservative critics have latched onto the editing as evidence of media bias, with the Center for American Rights (CAR) even filing a formal complaint with the FCC, accusing CBS of violating rules that govern broadcasters’ obligations to serve the public interest. The group argues that airing two different answers amounts to “deliberate news distortion,” claiming this manipulation was designed to mislead viewers and sway public opinion.
Trump, never one to shy away from amplifying a media controversy, took his criticism to a new level during a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, calling the alleged manipulation “the single biggest scandal in broadcast history.” He accused 60 Minutes and CBS of working in concert with the Democratic Party, predicting that the incident would be remembered as a major political and media scandal.