CBS Faces Backlash from Trump for Kamala Harris Interview Edits \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Donald Trump attacked CBS News for editing Vice President Kamala Harris’ interview on “60 Minutes,” accusing the network of manipulating her responses to protect her. CBS clarified that Harris’ full answer was split across two shows—”Face the Nation” and “60 Minutes”—due to time constraints, a standard editing practice. Despite this, Trump called it a “fake news scam,” demanding CBS release the full, unedited interview.
Trump Criticizes CBS for Harris Interview Edits Quick Looks:
- Trump accused CBS of altering Kamala Harris’ answers to present her more favorably.
- CBS split Harris’ answers between “Face the Nation” and “60 Minutes” for editing and promotion purposes.
- Trump called it a “fake news scam,” claiming CBS was protecting Harris after the discrepancies went viral online.
- CBS responded that both answers were part of a single, full response, edited for clarity.
- The Trump campaign demanded CBS release the unedited transcript, while Harris’ team distanced itself from CBS’ production choices.
Deep Look:
Former President Donald Trump criticized CBS News this past week for its handling of an interview with his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, on the newsmagazine “60 Minutes.” Trump alleged that the network edited Harris’ responses to questions about the Biden administration’s Middle East policies to shield her from criticism, calling the production a “giant fake news scam.”
Harris’ interview, conducted by correspondent Bill Whitaker, aired in portions across two shows: CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday morning and “60 Minutes” on Monday night. In a pair of exchanges, Harris appeared to give different answers to Whitaker’s questions regarding Israel’s response to U.S. diplomacy, causing confusion online and sparking outrage from Trump and his supporters.
Trump, skipping a planned interview with “60 Minutes,” took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to accuse CBS of swapping out Harris’ original responses. “HER REAL ANSWER WAS CRAZY, OR DUMB, so they actually REPLACED it with another answer in order to save her or, at least, to make her look better,” Trump wrote.
CBS News, however, defended its editing choices, stating that both of Harris’ responses were part of a larger answer she gave during the interview. The network explained that for time reasons, the first half of Harris’ response aired on “Face the Nation,” while the second part appeared on “60 Minutes.” According to CBS, there was no intention to mislead the audience or to favor Harris. The news network also explained that such cross-promotion is common in television production, where segments of longer interviews are shared across multiple platforms.
How Did Harris Give Two Different Answers?
The confusion began with a question Whitaker asked Harris during their sit-down interview on October 5. He observed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed unresponsive to the Biden administration’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. On “Face the Nation,” Harris responded by saying, “Well, Bill, the work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements… including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region.” However, on “60 Minutes,” after Whitaker posed the same question, Harris was seen answering, “We’re not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
The discrepancy led some online observers to speculate that CBS had swapped out her initial response, prompting Trump’s accusations of editorial bias.
In response to the claims, CBS clarified that Harris’ complete response included both statements. Time constraints required editing down her full, 45-minute interview into a 20-minute slot for the Monday evening broadcast, leading to different portions of her answers being aired on different programs. CBS said the decision to share some of the interview with “Face the Nation” was part of a cross-promotion strategy, a common practice for major news networks when dealing with high-profile interviews.
Trump’s Response and Criticism
Upon seeing the different responses Harris gave to the same question, Trump claimed the discrepancy proved CBS had altered the interview to protect the vice president. He accused CBS of covering for Harris by replacing her “crazy or dumb” answer with a more polished response for the “60 Minutes” broadcast. Trump’s campaign quickly joined in, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt demanding CBS release a full, unedited transcript of the interview, asking, “What do they, and Kamala, have to hide?”
This isn’t the first time Trump has clashed with CBS. During his 2020 campaign against Joe Biden, Trump abruptly ended an interview with “60 Minutes” correspondent Lesley Stahl, later releasing his own unedited footage of the session, which showed him growing frustrated with Stahl’s questioning. Trump, a frequent critic of media outlets he perceives as biased against him, has often used such moments to fuel his narrative of unfair treatment by the press.
Harris Campaign and CBS’ Response
The Harris campaign responded to Trump’s accusations by distancing itself from CBS’ production decisions. In a statement, an aide to the Harris campaign told Variety, “We do not control CBS’ production decisions.”
CBS chose not to comment directly on Trump’s criticisms but defended its editorial process privately, emphasizing that the same methods were used in previous interviews with Trump. The network pointed out that interviews, especially ones like this, are often heavily edited for time and clarity, with no intent to distort the candidate’s answers.
Adding to the controversy, a similar editing discrepancy was found in another question asked by Whitaker, in which he suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had repeatedly ignored the Biden administration’s suggestions. On “60 Minutes,” Harris’ response was brief, simply saying that U.S. diplomatic efforts are ongoing. Yet, on “Face the Nation,” Harris’ answer was longer, focusing on U.S. efforts to achieve a ceasefire and facilitate the release of hostages held by Hamas.
Demands for Transparency
The Trump campaign has since called for CBS to release the full, unedited transcript of Harris’ interview to provide transparency on the matter. CBS occasionally posts extended versions of interviews online but does not typically release raw, unedited footage or transcripts.
As CBS continues to face accusations of bias from Trump’s supporters, the incident has ignited further debate about media responsibility in political coverage. Meanwhile, Trump’s critics argue that the former president has often received lenient media treatment, with some accusing news outlets of “sanewashing” or editing his more extreme comments during rallies to make them seem more moderate.
The ongoing feud between Trump and CBS reflects the larger issue of how media coverage and editing can shape public perception, especially during high-stakes election seasons. Whether CBS will heed Trump’s demands for an unedited release of the Harris interview remains unclear, but the controversy is likely to linger as both candidates continue their media blitz ahead of the 2024 election.
