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US Election: Trump 'abruptly walks out on TV interview', attacks host

US President Donald Trump has once again sparked a heated row with a member of the media after a recorded TV interview reportedly went awry.

Mr Trump is reported to have abruptly ended a TV interview with 60 Minutes before taking to Twitter to attack the interviewer.

The extensive interview with Leslie Stahl ended angrily, according to one person familiar with the exchange who was not authorised to discuss it publicly, according to The Associated Press.

A number of journalists also reported on the apparent acrimony.

Donald Trump pictured left. 60 Minutes journalist Leslie Stahl is pictured right.
While true to form, some have questioned the intelligence of Donald Trump (left) attacking 60 Minutes journalist Leslie Stahl (right). Source: Getty/Twitter

“Apparently there was some drama while President Trump was taping his 60 Minutes interview today. He abruptly ended his solo interview after around 45 minutes & did not return for a scheduled walk & talk he was supposed to tape with [Vice President] Pence,” CNN’s White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins tweeted.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris were also interviewed, and are scheduled to appear in the same program on Sunday (local time).

“While Biden and Harris taped their interviews separately, Trump and Pence were scheduled to appear on camera together. They ultimately did not and Pence taped his separately,” Collins said.

Following the interview Mr Trump lashed out at Stahl, sharing a clip of her not wearing a mask in the White House.

In a subsequent Twitter message, the president declared his interview with the 60 Minutes host to be “FAKE and BIASED” and threatened to release a White House account of the interview before its Sunday airtime.

His volatile actions come less than a week after the Trump campaign organised a live town hall interview with NBC for the president to then attack the network as fake.

According to The Washington Post, the president cut off the interview because he didn’t like the aggressive tone of Stahl’s questions.

Many were quick to suggest the interview must have gone poorly for the president due to his fiery reaction, while others wondered about the wisdom in giving 60 Minutes so much free publicity.

Trump rallies supporters in crucial state ahead of Obama visit

Following the 60 Minutes drama, the president held a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday night (local time) in a state which is shaping up as one of the most significant battle grounds of the election.

The president again falsely claimed the country was “rounding the turn on the pandemic”, despite cases rising in more than 40 states.

He also sought to convince voters Mr Biden and Ms Harris would ban fracking, which has boomed in Pennsylvania in recent years.

Mr Trump's trip comes the day before Mr Biden's old boss – former President Barack Obama – is to campaign for the Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania.

Underscoring the importance of the “Rust Belt” state, Mr Obama was due to campaign for the Democratic ticket at a drive-in car rally event on Wednesday in a Pennsylvania location yet to be announced.

It will be Mr Obama's first in-person campaign event for Mr Biden, who served with him for eight years.

US President Donald Trump at a Make America Great Again rally at Erie International Airport in Erie, Pennsylvania.
US President Donald Trump addresses supporters during a Make America Great Again rally as he campaigns at Erie International Airport in Pennsylvania. Source: Getty Images

Five million more votes were cast over the past day, boosting early turnout to 35.5 million, according to the University of Florida's US Elections Project.

That total represents more than a quarter of the total vote in the 2016 presidential contest.

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