Trump tweets unflattering footage from 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl

On Thursday, President Donald Trump went forward and preemptively revealed the footage of his interview with Lesley Stahl that can air on 60 Minutes this weekend. It’s exhausting to think about how he thought doing so would replicate positively upon him.

Trump posted the Stahl interview footage on Fb under a caption that learn, “Take a look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS.” Oddly, he in contrast Stahl’s efficiency favorably with the moderator of the upcoming ultimate presidential debate, Kristen Welker, writing “Tonight’s anchor, Kristen Welker, is much worse! #MAGA” (Trump has spent the higher a part of every week preemptively attacking Welker.)

But when the thought is meant to be that Stahl was making an attempt to do a success job on Trump, the footage doesn’t bear that out. The video Trump posted begins with Stahl asking him, “You’re okay with some powerful questions?” You’d in all probability count on the president of the US to say that’s no downside, however as an alternative, Trump stated, “No, I’m not.”

“You’re not okay with powerful questions?” Stahl replied, incredulously.

Almost 40 minutes later, the interview ended on an analogous be aware, with Trump whining to Stahl that “your first query was, ‘that is going to be powerful questions’ … however whenever you arrange the interview, you didn’t say that. You stated, ‘oh, let’s have a stunning interview.’ And right here’s what I do say: You don’t ask Joe Biden [tough questions].”

Stahl replied by declaring she hasn’t not too long ago interviewed Joe Biden, however Trump admonished her that her opening assertion “is not any method to discuss.” Seconds later he walked away from the interview in a huff.

Given all this, you’d in all probability assume that Stahl grilled Trump with a collection of hard-hitting questions. However the content material of the interview mainly consisted of Trump getting offended when Stahl made plenty of apparent (albeit unflattering for him) observations.

Trump is ill-equipped to cope with probably the most primary of questions

Maybe probably the most substantial alternate of the interview got here when Stahl requested Trump about his administration’s effort to get the Supreme Court docket to repeal the Reasonably priced Care Act throughout a pandemic that has made accessing well being care extra vital than ever.

Stahl identified the plain — that Trump has for years been promising a alternative plan for the ACA that also hasn’t materialized — however Trump replied by insisting that his plan is “going to be introduced very quickly.”

Later, in an unlucky soundbite, Trump admitted to Stahl that he hopes the Supreme Court docket overturns the ACA — a ruling that might value greater than 20 million individuals their medical insurance.

“I hope that they finish it. It’ll be so good in the event that they finish it,” Trump stated, in an alternate that appeared tailored for Joe Biden adverts.

Maybe in consciousness that this a part of the interview didn’t go nicely for Trump, on Wednesday the president tweeted pictures of White Home Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany presenting Stahl with reams of paper meant to display “the numerous issues” the administration has finished on well being care — as if the mere bulk of a stack of papers proves one thing slightly than what’s truly written on it.

If Trump making stuff as much as defend his (lack of) a well being care plan was dangerous, his protection of holding pandemic rallies that make a mockery of primary public well being tips was someway even worse. When Stahl identified to him that many individuals at his rallies don’t put on masks and aren’t social distancing and requested him about “the message he’s sending,” Trump responded by insulting her and mendacity.

“, you’re so damaging … these are the largest rallies we now have ever had,” Trump stated (falsely), prompting Stahl to notice, “I can’t consider after what occurred within the Rose Backyard right here on the announcement, with all the individuals getting sick, that you’re not being extra strongly encouraging about sporting masks.”

“What’s your subsequent query?” Trump finally replied, making an attempt to vary the subject.

Maybe Trump’s most brazen lie got here when he insisted to Stahl that he hasn’t inspired “lock her up!” chants at his latest rallies. The truth is, encouraging chants of that kind geared toward Hillary Clinton, Gretchen Whitmer, Ilhan Omar, and others has grow to be a staple of Trump’s stump speeches.

Trump’s latest interviews with actual journalists have uniformly been disasters

The primary indication the 60 Minutes interview didn’t go nicely for Trump got here on Tuesday, shortly after filming of it ended on the White Home, when Trump posted a weird 5-second gotcha video to his Twitter account above a caption that learn, “Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes not sporting a masks within the White Home after her interview with me. Way more to return.”

Shortly thereafter, information broke that Trump “lower the interview brief after which declined to take part in a ‘stroll and discuss’ phase with Ms. Stahl and Vice President Mike Pence,” because the New York Occasions put it.

Then, on Wednesday, Trump tweeted, “I’m happy to tell you that, for the sake of accuracy in reporting, I’m contemplating posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, PRIOR TO AIRTIME! This will likely be finished so that everyone can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about … Everybody ought to evaluate this horrible Electoral Intrusion with the latest interviews of Sleepy Joe Biden!” He additionally introduced up the Stahl episode throughout a rally speech that evening in Erie, Pennsylvania.

That preemptive framing echoes the president’s latest sample of attacking debate moderators and different journalists for vital questions or protection — some even earlier than he’s interacted with them. It additionally comes whereas Trump is making a concerted effort to discredit members of the media starting from Stahl to Welker to Chris Wallace of Fox Information. He thinks any reporter he interacts with ought to fawn over him the way in which Sean Hannity or Brian Kilmeade does.

Whether or not we’re speaking about his sit-down with Jonathan Swan of Axios, Savannah Guthrie of NBC, or Chris Wallace of Fox Information, Trump’s latest interviews with actual journalists have uniformly been disasters. He’s so immersed within the insular world of Fox Information that he regards apparent truths (“why didn’t you develop a well being plan?”) as assaults on him.

For no matter purpose, the session with Stahl appears to have despatched Trump into an unusually drastic tailspin. Folks might watch the footage he revealed and see a president who can’t cope with primary traces of questioning and is a world-historical whiner, however Trump apparently views it as proof that he’s beleaguered on all sides by individuals with an agenda who’re out to get him.

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