October 15, 2018

Trump’s Worst Moments From His “60 Minutes” Interview

“I’m president and you’re not.”

President Donald Trump came out swinging in a new 60 Minutes interview that packed in multiple falsehoods, an outright dismissal of a question about his treatment of Christine Blasey Ford, and staunch defenses of some of his most controversial policies.

During the 26-minute conversation that aired Sunday, Trump twice insisted to veteran journalist Lesley Stahl that he was “not a baby.” The interview stood out in contrast to far friendlier exchanges last week between the president and Fox News. 

Here are some of the most shocking moments from Trump’s sit-down with Stahl:

Trump falsely states climate change could “very well go back” and that scientists are politically motivated:

While insisting he didn’t believe climate change was a hoax, Trump also said he couldn’t be certain climate change was fueled by human activity. He then claimed without evidence that scientists have a “very big political agenda.” Here’s the moment from CBS’s transcript:

President Donald Trump: I’m not denying climate change. But it could very well go back. You know, we’re talkin’ about over a millions–

Lesley Stahl: But that’s denying it.

President Donald Trump: –of years. They say that we had hurricanes that were far worse than what we just had with Michael.

Lesley Stahl: Who says that? “They say”?

President Donald Trump: People say. People say that in the–

Lesley Stahl: Yeah, but what about the scientists who say it’s worse than ever?

President Donald Trump: You’d have to show me the scientists because they have a very big political agenda, Lesley.

Trump defends his friendship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un:

Visibly irritated as Stahl read from a list of human rights violations committed by the North Korean leader, Trump told Stahl he was “not a baby” and that he was aware of Kim’s record. Trump also claimed it was only a “figure of speech” when he publicly declared that he and Kim had fallen in love.

Trump denies he mocked Christine Blasey Ford: “It doesn’t matter. We won.”

The president appeared to defend his mockery of Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to come forward with sexual assault allegations against now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, claiming that without the much-condemned remarks, Kavanaugh’s nomination would have been over. 

Lesley Stahl: And you mimicked Professor Blasey Ford. You mimicked her.

President Donald Trump: Had I not made that speech, we would not have won. I was just saying she didn’t seem to know anything.

When pressed on whether he had treated Ford with respect, Trump insisted he had, before shutting down the discussion on Ford because Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed. “I’m not gonna get into it because we won,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. We won.”

Trump signals the possible departure of Defense Secretary James Mattis:

While discussing his growing dissatisfaction with Cabinet members and White House staff, Trump disparagingly referred to Mattis as a “Democrat” and signaled he could be the next high-level administration official to leave:

Lesley Stahl: What about General Mattis? Is he going to leave?

President Donald Trump: Well, I don’t know. He hasn’t told me that. I have–

Lesley Stahl: Do you want him to–

President Donald Trump: –a very good relationship with him. It could be that he is. I think he’s sort of a Democrat, if you wanna know the truth. But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That’s Washington.

Trump reminds Stahl: “I’m president and you’re not.”

While sparring with Stahl over the media’s treatment of him, Trump cut in at one point to remind her of his position:

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THE BIG PICTURE

You expect the big picture, and it's our job at Mother Jones to give it to you. And right now, so many of the troubles we face are the making not of a virus, but of the quest for profit, political or economic (and not just from the man in the White House who could have offered leadership and comfort but instead gave us bleach).

In "News Is Just Like Waste Management," we unpack what the coronavirus crisis has meant for journalism, including Mother Jones’, and how we can rise to the challenge. If you're able to, this is a critical moment to support our nonprofit journalism with a donation: We've scoured our budget and made the cuts we can without impairing our mission, and we hope to raise $400,000 from our community of online readers to help keep our big reporting projects going because this extraordinary pandemic-plus-election year is no time to pull back.

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