‘That’s no way to talk’: Trump posts video showing him abruptly ending 60 Minutes interview

Lesley Stahl presses a frustrated Trump on false claims on healthcare and coronavirus before he abruptly ends interview in his full video preempting CBS broadcast

Donald Trump uploaded to Facebook his 30-minute interview with CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl after walking out of the meeting and accusing the network of “fake” and “biased” line of questions.

“You brought up a lot of subjects that were inappropriately brought up … right from the beginning,” he told Ms Stahl. “Your first statement to me, ‘This is going to be tough questions.' … That’s no way to talk."

Ms Stahl replied: “You’re the president. Don’t you think you should be accountable to the American people?”

After a producer told them that vice president Mike Pence was due to arrive, Mr Trump said “I think we have enough” before abruptly leaving the interview.

His preemptive airing of the interview – which is set to air on 60 Minutes alongside interviews with Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden – has sought to further undermine media scrutiny in the days leading up to Election Day on 3 November.

The post also precedes the final debate between the president and his opponent on Thursday night.

Before the interview begins, Ms Stahl tells the president: "Last time, I remember you saying to me, 'bring it on, bring it on.'"

“No, I'm not looking for that,” Mr Trump replied.

“You're going to get fairness,” she said. "But you're OK with some tough questions?"

He said “no, I’m not.”

In the interview, Ms Stahl presses him on his views on the state of the economy and the public health crisis, whether he believes masks help prevent the transmission of the coronavirus, and recent Covid-19 infection spikes and daily records set in some states despite his claims that the US is “turning the corner."

He also was challenged about his promise to reveal a healthcare plan in the event he dismantles the Affordable Care Act, yet has not unveiled any such plans. “We will come up with a plan,” he said in the interview.

“I hope that they end it,” he said of the US Supreme Court’s looming decision to review the law that his administration aims to overturn. He said the administration will reveal a plan following a court decision.

“It will be so good if they end it,” he said.

He said “people with pre-existing conditions will always be protected” but could not provide an answer when Ms Stahl asked several times how he intends to do so.

At one point, Ms Stahl reminded Mr Trump that he once told her he attempts to discredit the members of the media so people don’t believe them.

“I don’t have to discredit you, you’ve discredited yourself,” he said.

After the president brought up his allegations against his opponent and son Hunter Biden, Ms Stahl pressed him about the legitimacy of recent reporting about the contents of a recovered laptop that allegedly belonged to Hunter, claims promoted by Rudy Giuliani and Steve Bannon.

“I don’t know anything about that, I just know it’s a laptop,” Mr Trump said. “I don’t know about the two gentleman you mentioned.”

He refused to admit that the laptop’s contents cannot be verified.

In a segment discussing his rhetoric and influence, he refused to admit he had taken aim at Michigan’s Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who had recently been targeted an alleged right-wing plot to kidnap her.

He said he doesn’t know anything about the plot, which was investigated by the FBI.

“When did I say lock her up?” he said. “I would never say that.”

During “lock her up” chants at his rallies in the state, he responded with “lock them all up.”

In a statement, CBS said that the White House’s “unprecedented decision to disregard” its agreement with the network "will not deter 60 Minutes from providing its full, fair and contextual reporting."