Washington, D.C. – November 3, 2025 – President Donald Trump’s return to CBS’s 60 Minutes after a five-year hiatus aired amid a grinding government shutdown, delivering a combative defense of his second-term agenda and sharp rebukes of his Democratic foes. The 28-minute broadcast segment, drawn from a full 73-minute exchange with correspondent Norah O’Donnell, quickly ignited controversy—not just over Trump’s unfiltered rhetoric, but over accusations of selective editing that echoed a high-profile clash from earlier this year.
The interview, which aired Sunday night, centered on the escalating federal shutdown, now in its 34th day and teetering on a historic record. Trump laid the blame squarely at Democrats’ feet, accusing them of “extortion” for tying funding bills to protections for programs like the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which he derided as “bad health care at far too high a price.” He called Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “grossly incompetent” and floated changing Senate rules to bypass filibusters, while expressing openness to negotiating ACA reforms once the government reopens.
Other flashpoints included Trump’s recent pardon of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, which has sparked bipartisan outrage. Pressed on his prior familiarity with Zhao—who served prison time for money laundering violations—Trump insisted, “I didn’t know him,” dismissing the case as a “Biden witch hunt” and claiming the pardon was a matter of doing “the right thing,” even if it “may look bad.” The discussion also touched on immigration enforcement and U.S. global relations, with Trump reiterating hardline stances on border security and alliances.
PRESIDENT TRUMP ON ZOHRAN MAMDANI: I’m a much better looking person than him! But it’s gonna be hard to give a lot of money to New York – because if you have a communist running NYC, you’re WASTING the money. I’m not a fan of Cuomo. But between a bad Democrat and a communist?… pic.twitter.com/06mWGb0dqJ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 3, 2025
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I would say yeah.
CBS: And are you doing land strikes on Venezuela?
TRUMP: I don’t tell you that. I’m not saying it’s true, or untrue. I don’t talk to a reporter about if I’m gonna strike!
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 3, 2025
But the real post-air fireworks erupted over the edits. Critics, including liberal commentator Ron Filipkowski, slammed CBS for airing a truncated version, drawing parallels to Trump’s February 2025 lawsuit against the network. In that case, Trump alleged CBS deceptively edited a Kamala Harris interview to bolster her image, leading to a multimillion-dollar settlement and the eventual release of raw footage by the FCC. Filipkowski tweeted: “CBS settled Trump’s lawsuit where he frivolously sued because they edited Kamala Harris’s interview so it would fit into their air time. Then CBS does a 73-minute interview of Trump where they made big edits from the version that was broadcast.”
Enter Schumer, who seized on the moment with a pointed jab on X (formerly Twitter): “Maybe I should file a complaint with the FCC against the Trump White House for editing his unhinged 60 Minutes interview. It will use the exact same language Trump lodged against Vice President Harris.” The remark, floated amid the shutdown stalemate, amplified Democratic frustrations and hinted at potential regulatory scrutiny of CBS’s broadcast practices—mirroring the GOP’s earlier push.
Trump shows India-Pakistan conflict on his list of ‘solved wars’
“That was gonna be a beauty. They shot down seven planes,” he told 60 Minutes in an interview. pic.twitter.com/aHTPXfUaIn
— Sputnik India (@Sputnik_India) November 3, 2025
PRESIDENT TRUMP: I hope I can have the same year we just had. We had the greatest 9 months in HISTORY of the presidency. If I can keep that going, I’ll be very happy.
We have faith… pic.twitter.com/urqRt0vuBz
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 3, 2025
“A lot of people want me to run…but we have a strong bench! […] I do like JD Vance, I like Marco Rubio, I like so many people. We have an UNBELIEVABLE bench!”
We MUST defeat Gavin… pic.twitter.com/KlUITzTqpu
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 3, 2025
The Trump campaign fired back swiftly, releasing the unedited 73-minute tape via its “Rapid Response 47” X account: “See President Donald J. Trump’s FULL interview on @60Minutes — all 73+ minutes, without the network’s edits and cuts.” Unlike the Harris episode, where CBS and Harris’s team initially withheld raw materials, the proactive drop aimed to undercut claims of foul play.
As the shutdown drags into its sixth week—with partial food aid distributions now in legal limbo—the 60 Minutes dust-up underscores the polarized media battles defining Trump’s encore presidency. Whether Schumer follows through on his FCC threat remains unclear, but it signals Democrats’ readiness to wield the same tools once leveled against them. For now, the full interview stands as a raw artifact of a leader unbowed—and unafraid of the edit bay.
SOURCES:
Trump accuses Democrats of extortion as shutdown continues
5 key moments from Trump’s ’60 Minutes’ interview
Trump talks healthcare, immigration, and global relations in CBS’s 60 Minutes interview
Schumer threatens to complain to the FCC over Trump’s ’60 Minutes’ interview – The Daily Bo Snerdley
Schumer floats FCC complaint over Trump’s edited 60 Minutes interview
White House to offer reduced food aid during shutdown after court order
CBS hits back at FCC over probe into ‘60 Minutes’ edits – Los Angeles Times
Trump says he doesn’t know Binance founder CZ after pardoning him
Trump’s “60 Minutes” interview trimmed Bari Weiss, Binance exchanges
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