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.
“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.
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
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.
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...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2020
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.
Goodness. How bad was this 60 Minutes interview?
— Sam Stein (@samstein) October 20, 2020
Not sure why the White House is giving 60 Minutes millions of dollars worth of free pre-air promotions but YOLO I guess.
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) October 20, 2020
I guess the strategy here is that a few thousand people will see tweets attacking Leslie Stahl, which will cancel out the millions of people who watch the interview on Sunday night. Got it.
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) October 20, 2020
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.
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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