Trump Slams ’60 Minutes’ Over Soft Biden Interview

President Donald Trump lambasted CBS’s “60 Minutes” this week for its handling of last weekend’s sit-down with Joe Biden. Citing the program’s noticeably gentle approach, Trump asserted that “60 Minutes” guided Biden “like a lost child” during the interview.

Trump’s criticism on his Truth Social platform was stark. He wrote, “They are protecting Biden even though he is the most corrupt and incompetent President in the history of the United States.” Trump didn’t stop at just Biden; he targeted the entire administration. To underscore Biden’s inadequacy, he mentioned various crises — the Middle East conflict, Ukraine tensions, inflation, the economy’s state, and the infamous Afghanistan withdrawal.

It’s no secret that Trump had a tumultuous relationship with the media, and his previous interaction with “60 Minutes” came to light once again. He recalled his fiery exchange with CBS News’ Lesley Stahl, culminating in her downplaying the Hunter Biden scandal weeks before the 2020 elections. Such discrepancies in treatment between him and Biden did not go unnoticed.

RedState’s Nick Arama highlighted Biden’s hesitancy for such appearances, implying the president’s inclination to embarrass himself during unscripted sit-downs. Anchor Scott Pelley’s observations echoed this sentiment when he conceded that Biden appeared “tired from directing all this.”

Pelley’s interaction with Biden was contrasted with a statement he provided before airing the segment. Pelley acknowledged, “Late Thursday, we met President Biden at the White House. It had been a rough week, and we could see it on him. Mr. Biden will be 81 next month, and he has said that when he’s tired, his life-long stutter can creep back in.”

During a campaign event in Iowa, Trump reiterated his criticism of the corporate media, comparing the line of questioning posed to Biden with those directed at him, pointing out the evident disparities.

Further shedding light on the media’s treatment, questions posed to Biden during the “60 Minutes” segment included softballs like, “Why do you feel so strongly about speaking to these families of American hostages in Gaza personally on Zoom?” and “What does Israel mean to you?” Such inane questions were perceived by many as merely designed to portray Biden in a favorable light.

It’s not just Trump or conservative outlets highlighting this. Even figures from the legacy media have criticized the nature of Biden’s interviews. New York Times reporter Zolan Kanno-Youngs pointed out that the administration’s choice of “friendly talk show hosts” for interviews falls short of a balanced media approach.

While media biases and double standards aren’t a novel concern, the blatant disparities in how different administrations are treated have become increasingly transparent. As the nation approaches another election cycle, the role of media as gatekeepers of information and its influence on public perception remains a critical topic of debate.

 

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