Trump walks out of ‘60 Minutes’ interview as Lesley Stahl says 'I've got a lot of questions' in viral video
President Donald Trump's viral '60 Minutes' interview, where he walked out in the middle of questioning, was seen by viewers on Sunday night, October 25 on CBS. A short section of the interview, where the president abruptly ended the recording and walked away, has now been viewed more than 8 million times. Trump, in the clip, appears visibly annoyed with journalist Lesley Stahl’s line of questioning, and the testy exchange between the two ends with the president concluding the discourse and walking off. The full video was aired on CBS days after Trump's refusal to sit through Stahl's questioning triggered a social media uproar. Trump, furious at being called weak, eventually released the entire section on his Facebook page on Thursday, October 22. "Look at the bias, hatred, and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS," he wrote while sharing the clip.
Trump's annoyance with Stahl began immediately after she began the interview by asking him: "Are you ready for some tough questions?" The president, mid-interview, brought it up before walking out. He told Stahl: "Excuse me. Lesley you started with your first statement was are you ready for tough questions. That's no way to talk." He then pointed out how Democratic nominee Joe Biden gets "softball after softball." Trump said: "I've seen all his interviews, he's never been asked a question that's hard." When Lesly reminded the Republican that Biden was not the president, he was, Trump then walked away from the set.
Lesley, in her introduction to Sunday's show, explained what had occurred, saying: "We had prepared to talk about the many issues and questions facing the president, but in what has become an all-too-public dust-up, the conversation was cut short. It began politely, but ended regrettably, contentiously."
The viewers, on Sunday night, however, witnessed what happened once Trump's camera stopped rolling as he walked off. Stahl can be heard saying to Trump: "I've got a lot of questions I didn't ask" as he walks out past the camera. The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, then enters with a folder, describing it as "his healthcare plan." Trump walked off as a surprised Stahl remained in her chair.
In a voiceover in the final broadcast, Stahl comments: "It was heavy. Filled with executive orders, congressional initiatives, but no comprehensive health plan." Stahl then asked McEnany: "And the president's not coming back?" To which McEnany replied saying: "The president's given you a lot of time." It was then when Vice President Mike Pence was called in to sit for the interview. Pence told Stahl that the president was not interested in "back and forth with the media."
"Lesley, President Trump is a man who speaks his mind," Pence said. "I think it's one of the great strengths that he's had as president of the United States, is that the American people always know where they stand. And he's always ready. And the American people know that - in this time, it's, it's - it's less about the back and forth with the media, and it's - it's really more about how we bring this country all the way back."