Meadows Denies Trump Stormed Out Of Stahl Interview

The Washington Post reports:

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Wednesday disputed reports that Trump had cut off an interview with “60 Minutes” host Lesley Stahl but accused the veteran television reporter of being “an opinion journalist.”

“Well, he didn’t walk out,” Meadows said of Trump during an appearance on Fox Business. “The characterization of that, he spent over 45 minutes with Lesley Stahl. I’ve looked at every single minute of the interview and then some. We have tape of every single minute.”

Following the interview Tuesday, Trump threatened to post footage of it before the news program is scheduled to air it Sunday night on CBS. In a tweet, Trump also called Stahl’s interview “FAKE and BIASED.”

Mediaite reports:

The interview infuriated Trump to the degree that he threatened to release it prior to its scheduled airing on Sunday. He also posted a five-second clip showing Stahl after the interview without a mask. (CBS says Stahl was speaking with her producers, all of whom tested negative for Covid-19 earlier in the day.)

A White House staffer told the Post that the interview “was not that bad.” “She just had a tone he didn’t like,” the staffer told the Post. Three White House aides also told the Post that Trump overreacted and that his lashing out will likely only serve to increase the show’s ratings.