Trump Demands CBS License Be Revoked Over ‘Fake News Scam,’ Claims Kamala Harris Interview Was Deceptively Edited
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Early Thursday, Donald Trump intensified his calls for an investigation into CBS, accusing the network of tampering with Vice President Kamala Harris’s interview on “60 Minutes.” Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to label the incident as “totally illegal” and urged the government to “take away the CBS license.” This latest outburst came after his initial criticism of the network on Wednesday.
The controversy stems from an interview Harris did with Bill Whitaker, during which she discussed Israel’s response to the war in Gaza. The Trump campaign highlighted discrepancies between Harris’s statements in a promotional clip posted on social media and what she said in the full interview aired on Monday night.
In the promotional clip, Harris stated, “The work that we have done has resulted in a number of movements in that region by Israel that were very much prompted by or a result of many things, including our advocacy for what needs to happen in the region.” However, her full response to the same question in the aired interview was, “We are not going to stop pursuing what is necessary for the United States to be clear about where we stand on the need for this war to end.”
Trump’s latest response escalated from his initial call for an investigation. He claimed that CBS edited the segment to present Harris in a more favorable light, suggesting that her real answer was not acceptable to the network. “A giant Fake News Scam by CBS & 60 Minutes. Her REAL ANSWER WAS CRAZY, OR DUMB, so they actually REPLACED it with another answer in order to save her or, at least, make her look better,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “A FAKE NEWS SCAM, which is totally illegal.”
Critics were quick to react to Trump’s remarks, accusing him of engaging in “dictator talk” by calling for government action against a news network over its editorial choices. The former president’s comments also renewed debate over press freedom and the boundaries of government interference in the media.
Despite the controversy, CBS has not responded to Trump’s claims. Meanwhile, Trump’s call for Harris to “concede the election” further inflamed tensions, as his allegations against the media and political opponents continue to dominate headlines. The situation highlights a broader debate about the role of the media in politics and the extent to which political figures should be held accountable for their statements in public forums.
