Former President Donald Trump has once again demanded that CBS lose its broadcasting license and warned that the network will “face serious repercussions” for its recent 60 Minutes episode.
Trump targeted the long-standing program in a pair of Truth Social posts late Sunday evening after the episode aired, focusing on his administration’s actions regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its controversial plans regarding Greenland.
In his posts, Trump revisited accusations that the program employed “manipulative editing” to alter some of Vice President Kamala Harris’ responses during her 60 Minutes interview in October, which took place shortly before her electoral defeat. Trump is pursuing a $20 billion lawsuit against the network over these claims, which CBS denies.
“Almost every week, 60 Minutes, which is facing a multi-billion dollar lawsuit for the fraud they committed in the 2024 Presidential Election during their interview with the unsuccessful presidential candidate Kamala Harris, disparages my name, but this weekend’s broadcast exceeds all previous instances,” he stated.
The Sunday episode featured an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, discussing the contentious interactions with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office from February.
“It appears that the vice president is justifying Putin’s actions in some way,” Zelensky remarked regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin, who initiated the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022. He asserted that the U.S. continues to be a formidable strategic partner for Ukraine despite changes in “tone” and “reality,” and he extended an invitation for Trump to visit Ukraine to witness the destruction firsthand.
The Greenland segment of the episode included discussions between correspondent Jon Wertheim and local residents who criticized Trump for his ambition to acquire the self-governing Danish territory.
“I am incredibly proud to be suing 60 Minutes, CBS Fake News, and Paramount, over their distorted and irreparably altered reporting. They did everything in their power to unlawfully elect Kamala, even going as far as completely revamping crucial answers to interview questions; however, it ultimately failed for them,” added Trump.
Trump reignited calls for CBS News to be stripped of its broadcasting license after previously telling Fox News’ MediaBuzz that he would “subpoena their documents” and urging the Federal Communications Commission to take action.
“They should absolutely lose their license! I hope the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under its highly regarded chairman, Brendan Carr, will levy maximum fines and penalties for their illegal actions,” he stated. “CBS is out of control like never before and must be held accountable.”
The former president did not specify how CBS News infringed the law in their coverage.
The FCC, an independent federal body, grants licenses to individual broadcast stations for an eight-year term, not to entire networks.
In January, Carr initiated a simultaneous inquiry into CBS News regarding this same matter, amidst several investigations that additionally involve ABC News and its handling of the pre-election debate between Trump and former President Joe Biden prior to Biden’s withdrawal from the Democratic race in July.
The agency has also reinstated a complaint against NBC concerning Harris’s appearance on Saturday Night Live just prior to the November election. Other networks, including PBS, NPR, and the Walt Disney Company, are also under scrutiny.
Recently, Trump expressed outrage over George Clooney’s interview on 60 Minutes, accusing the actor of abandoning Biden “like a dog.”
“Why would the now highly discredited 60 Minutes be producing a complete ‘puff piece’ on George Clooney, a second-rate movie ‘star’ and ‘failed political pundit?’ ” he added.
He once more referred to Harris, asserting: “60 Minutes even deceitfully inserted fake responses into her abysmal interview aired just before Election Day, marking one of the most humiliating and dishonest events in broadcast history.”
The Independent has reached out to both the White House and CBS News for additional comments.
