Trump says CBS should 'pay a big price' after '60 Minutes' interview with Zelenskyy
AP — President Donald Trump bitterly attacked “60 Minutes” shortly after the CBS newsmagazine broadcast stories on Ukraine and Greenland on Sunday, saying the network was out of control and should “pay a big price” for going after him.
Watch the full broadcast at cbsnews.com/60-minutes.
“Almost every week, 60 Minutes ... mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend's ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all,” the president said on his social platform. He called on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to impose maximum fines and punishment “for their unlawful and illegal behavior.”
The president's message didn't say what about the broadcast was unlawful or give any examples of what he took offense to.
Trump has an ongoing $20 billion lawsuit against “60 Minutes” for how it edited an interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris last fall. The president claims it was edited in a way to make Harris look good, something the newscast denies. But there are ongoing reports that Trump's lawyers and CBS' parent company are involved in settlement talks.
Carr and the FCC have launched a parallel investigation of CBS News about the same case, one of several that it has undergone that also involve ABC News, NBC, PBS, NPR and the Walt Disney Co.
Despite the legal battle, “60 Minutes” has been unstinting in its coverage of Trump's administration since he took office for a second term, particularly correspondent Scott Pelley. He traveled to Ukraine to conduct an interview with that country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the site of a Russian attack where nine children were killed earlier this month.
In the interview broadcast on Sunday, Zelenskyy said he has “100%” hatred for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine, and invited Trump to his visit his country to see what has been done.
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"I believe, sadly, Russian narratives are prevailing in the U.S..," Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said when he was shown a clip of Trump calling him a dictator. "How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war? This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia's information policy on America, on U.S. politics, and U.S. politicians."
Zelenskyy said during the interview that he heard Russia's ongoing narrative suddenly coming out of the mouth of the executive leader of the United States during what became a disastrous visit to the Oval Office.
"It's a shift in tone, a shift in reality, really yes, a shift in reality, and I don't want to engage in the altered reality that is being presented to me," Zelenskyy told 60 Minutes. "First and foremost, we did not launch an attack [to start the war]. It seems to me that the Vice President is somehow justifying Putin's actions. I tried to explain, 'You can't look for something in the middle. There is an aggressor and there is a victim. The Russians are the aggressor, and we are the victim.'"
The U.S. has been supporting Ukraine's side of the fight for independence until Trump took office. He brokered a partial ceasefire between the two countries, but Russia never followed through and has continued its attack. Support for Ukraine was palpable just last year, when the Ukrainian president visited Salt Lake City, where the nation's governors were assembled.
He was greeted with roaring applause and a standing ovation.
But that support took a big turn with the new administration as it ceased financial aid, put blame for Russia's invasion of the country on Ukraine, and even put a 10% tariff on Ukrainian imports.
One of the most poignant portions of the interview came when Pelley asked whether Zelenskyy believed the U.S. had Ukraine's back.
Zelenskyy paused before answering.
"Even in this pause of mine there's a problem," he said. "Because I want to answer truthfully and quickly that the United States is our strategic, strong partner. But the pause is doubt. I don't doubt that the people of America are with us. But in a long war, many details are forgotten. In Europe everyone fears that the United States may drift away from Europe."
Also Sunday, correspondent Jon Wertheim reported from Greenland on what some people in that nation are saying about Trump's desire to take control.
In his social media message, Trump said “60 Minutes” was no longer a news show but “a dishonest Political Operative simply disguised as ‘News,’ and must be responsible for what they have done, and are doing."
Matthew Jacobson reported from Salt Lake City
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