President Donald Trump: The 60 Minutes 2020 Election Interview

tonight in what has become an election. year tradition for 60 minutes. conversations with the major party. candidates for president. and vice president of the united states. later nora o'donnell interviews former. vice president joe biden. and his running mate senator kamala. harris. but we begin with president donald trump. and vice president mike pence i spoke. with the president on tuesday in the. roosevelt room at the white house.

the story will continue in a moment. we had prepared to talk about the many. issues and questions facing the. president. but in what has become an all too public. dustup. the conversation was cut short it began. politely but ended regrettably. contentiously are you ready for some. tough questions. you're going to be fair i usually i'm. going to be fair just be fair.

but you're okay with some tough. questions no i'm not you're not okay. with tough questions i want them to be. fair you you don't ask biting tough. questions. okay are you ready everybody ready so. we have the pandemic on your watch we've. had. racial strife we've had looting. why do you want this job why do you want. to be president again. because we've done a great job and it's. not finished yet and. when i finish this country will be in a. position like it hasn't been maybe ever.

the economy is already roaring back and. other people aren't going to bring it. back certainly the person that we're. dealing with is not going to bring it. back they're going to raise taxes. let me ask you what you think your uh. the biggest domestic priority is for you. right now uh well ultimately. let me and i'll tell you it was. happening we created the greatest. economy in the history of our country. and the other side you know that you. know that's not true it is totally true. it isn't but president trump did have an.

impressive string of economic. accomplishments. we had the best stock market price ever. and we're getting close to that price. again. the unemployment numbers for african. americans for asian americans for. hispanic americans virtually every. number was the best. and what was happening is things were. coming together i asked you what's the. priority i mean those are all the good. things. what are you doing now is to get back to. normal. get back to where we were to have the. economy.

rage and be great with jobs and. everybody be happy. and that's where we're going and that's. where we're heading and who is our. biggest. foreign adversary i would say. china they're an adversary. they're a competitor they're a foe in. many ways but they're. an adversary i think what happened was. disgraceful. should never have happened should they. should never have allowed. this plague to get out of china and go. throughout the world. 188 countries should never have happened.

four years ago you were behind in the. polls as you are now. and you pulled it out but this time you. have kind of a double. migraine you have unemployment claims. going up. you have coveted cases going up. i mean it's like the gods have suddenly. decided decided to conspire against. they should all know i think well what. about a job sir excuse me. cases are up in about 40 states you know. why cases are up also. because we do more testing the fake news.

media loves to say cases are up. the fact is we've done a very very good. job we have done. that's right because we're doing so much. testing there is increased testing. but according to the covet tracking. project that doesn't account for. all of the rise in new cases sweeping. the country. or the 40 increase in hospitalizations. in the past month when you're out there. saying we've turned the corner. this thing is disappearing and people.

can see. people can see cases going up all over. the in the midwest. in the mountain west record numbers of. cases in some states. we understand the disease we understand. the elderly and we are taking care of. them. like nobody's ever taken care of them so. we are taking care of our people. okay let me let me ask you something. about suburban women. yeah suburban women will you please like. me. remember please please.

i saved your damn neighborhood okay you. said the other day. to suburban women will you please like. me please oh i didn't say that you know. that's so misleading the way. i say jokingly suburban women you should. love me because i'm giving you security. and i got rid of the worst regulations. see the way you said that. yeah is why people think of you and. everyone else as fake news. i said kiddingly suburban women women. you should love me i got rid of a.

regulation. yes that would bring low-income housing. into suburbia. that is destroying that would destroy. suburbia. and i said that in a joking way the way. you have it it's like oh. like i'm begging i i'm kidding play it. and i'm kidding that is such a. misleading question leslie. but you're behind with suburban women in. the polls i doubt it. i doubt it i really doubt it one of the. reasons. is that they don't feel you're being. upfront. about the pandemic are you deliberately.

downplaying. doing well we're doing well we. understand the disease. we've done a good job we've done maybe a. great job. what we haven't done a good job on is. convincing people like you. because you're really quite impossible. to convince but that's okay. and the economy now is coming back and. it's coming back very strongly. and people see that lastly there are. more. unemployment claims i mean the economy. has. kind of lastly we just picked up 11.4.

million jobs. it's the largest number in the history. of our country. it is true that of the 22 million jobs. lost since february. 11.4 million have been restored yet. unemployment claims are running at. historically high levels. but the president sees the economy as. his strongest suit. galloped in a poll 56 percent of the. people. said that they're better off now during. a pandemic. than they were doing obama and biden 56.

it was a record number can we go back. for one second. to the pandemic because um you. called dr fauci and other health. officials idiots. where did i call them an idiot you. called them idiots. i wonder if you think a lot i like them. but. i wonder if you think that masks. don't work i feel masks. possibly work but certainly you want to.

stay away a certain distance socially. distance etc. but i would say a mask works and i have. nothing against masks. and i tell people to wear masks tell me. then about these rallies you've been. having. a lot of people are wearing people a lot. of people aren't i'm i'm watching all. these people. jammed in together and i'm seeing most. of them. without masks and i'm wondering the. message. that you're sending with these pictures. coming up take a look. yesterday we were in arizona.

record-setting rallies. numbers of people like nobody's seen. before you. used to have bigger rallies no these are. much bigger than i ever i don't want a. bicker over there no tell me about. you're so negative if you're so negative. these are the biggest rallies we've ever. had. you just come in here with that negative. attitude these are the biggest rallies. we've ever had. but i can't believe after what happened. in the rose garden here. after the announcement with all the. people getting sick. that you are not being more strongly. encouraging about wearing mass at your.

restaurant tell people to. but you don't leslie we hand out. thousands of masks. you look out and they're not wearing. them you don't get up there and say look. you know come on what's your next. question leslie we're outside. the rallies are bigger than they've ever. been there's more enthusiasm. than we've ever had there has never been. anything like what you're witnessing now. and you'll see that soon. um okay i'll ask you another health. question okay.

i told you okay um you promised. that there was going to be a new health. package. a health care plan yeah you said that it. was going to be great. you said it's ready it's going to be. ready it'll be here in two weeks it's. going to be. like nothing you've ever seen before and. of course we haven't seen it. so why didn't you develop a health plan. it is developed. it is fully developed it's going to be. announced very soon. when we see what happens with obamacare.

if. the supreme court ends this obamacare. um well we're going to have to see what. happens i think i i hope that they end. it. it'll be so good of them and if they end. up people with pre-existing conditions. will be stranded. and that's just a fact it's wrong it's. wrong a new plan will happen but. we won't do anything will and is we. won't do. anything and no plan unless we have. pre-existing conditions covered with. little more than a week. till the election the president has been.

barnstorming the swing states where the. polls are tight. including florida wisconsin pennsylvania. and here in michigan can you. characterize. your supporters yeah i think i can. people that love our country. more than anything else and they like to. see our country thrive. but do you think that when you hold. rallies and encourage people to say. lock her up the way i don't encourage. them they say it.

and you enjoy it you don't. deleted she deleted 33 000 emails. after she got a subpoena from the united. states congress but why is this still an. issue why do people they're not going to. vote that's an issue. she ran last time excuse me when they. say lock up it's not me. they say it it starts you enjoying it i. don't encourage you yes. no if i mention her name about something. they go crazy well what about the. governor of michigan governor gretchen.

whitmer was the target of a kidnapping. plot. by an armed militia group it was our. justice department that is the one. that's. helping her yes my justice department if. you call it that. howard justice department that's helping. her. and you know people aren't so they're. not liking her so much. because she's got everybody locked down. you got to get your governor to open up. your state. okay.

[Applause]. lock them all up. you are very powerful. and the people who love you love you. with. passion and if you go after somebody. the way you've been going after her they. take it to heart. and they then there are plots and. threats and. the same with doctor you did i've helped. her. it was our justice department you.

criticized her. oh i do criticize her yeah well i think. she locked down michigan is a disgrace. the way she closed churches in michigan. is a disgrace. i yeah i think it's disgraceful what. she's done i do. you want a lot and by the way that's. other of course i don't want to lock her. up. why would i lock her because you were in. front of a rally of people. saying it encouraging it leslie it's. such a vicious thing you just said. i never said lock up the governor of. michigan i would never say that. do you take any responsibility for the.

country being divided against. itself do you feel that i'd like not to. but you know perhaps everybody has to. take a little responsibility for it. but when people put out phony witch. hunts you know. when they spy in your campaign you have. to fight back and if you don't fight. back you're not sitting here very long. you go back home. you go back home to mommy. the president's accusations against the. biden family.

the abrupt end of our conversation and. vice president mike pence's assessment. of. what happened when we return. as we moved from subject to subject our. conversation grew more. tense president trump brought up what he. calls the. unfairness of the fake media most. prominently. a lack of coverage of his unproven and.

unverified charges. that former vice president joe biden and. his son hunter. have received millions of dollars in. corrupt. payments from a russian oligarch and a. chinese. billionaire the story. will continue in a moment. i wish you would interview joe biden. like you interview me. it would be so good you know what you. like this i thought. i thought you i don't mind it i don't. mind but when i watch him walk out of a.

store. and he's walking with a ice cream and. the question the media asks him. what kind of ice cream what flavor ice. cream do you have. and he's in the midst of a scandal he's. not and he's taking. course he is leslie come on of course he. is it's the biggest. second biggest scandal so the biggest. scandal was when they spied on my. campaign. they spied on my campaign there's no. real evidence of that. of course there is it's all over the. place leslie. they spied on my campaign and they got.

called can i say something. you know this is 60 minutes and we can't. put on things we can't verify put it on. because it's bad for abiding we can't. put on things we can't verify leslie. they spied on my campaign well we can't. very well. i'm totally verified no it's been just. go down and get the papers. they spied on my campaign they got. caught no and then they went much. further than that. and they got caught and you will see. that leslie and you know that but you. just don't want to put it. as a matter of fact i don't know that.

okay and you're out so. why don't you get back to your interview. and let's go do you think. that your tweets and your name. calling are turning people off no i. think i wouldn't be here if i didn't. have social. media but the media is fake and frankly. if i didn't have social media. i'd have no way of getting out my voice. do you know what you told me. a long time ago when i asked why you. keep saying fake. media yeah you said to me i say that.

because i need to dis uh discredit you. so that when you say negative things. about me no one will believe i don't. have to discredit you. but that's what you discredited yourself. you know. i didn't want to have this kind of anger. she did. no i didn't no i didn't well then you. brought up a lot of subjects. well i said i'm going to ask you tough. questions they were inappropriately. brought up. right from the beginning no your first. question was this is. going to be tough questions why you. don't ask joe biden. i saw your interview with joe the.

interviewer i never did a joke it was a. joke. the interview 60 minutes i see joe biden. giving softball after softball i've seen. all of his interviews. he's never been asked a question that's. hard okay but forget him for a minute no. but you are the president. your president excuse me leslie you. started with me. your first statement was are you ready. for tough questions. are you that's no way to talk there's no. way to talk. leslie at this point one of our.

producers. interrupted to advise about the time. remaining in the interview. i think we have enough of an interview. here hope okay that's enough. let's go let's go uh. let's go meet for two seconds okay. thanks i'll see you in a little while. thanks. be careful. we were scheduled to take a walk with. the president around the white house. grounds. i've got a lot of questions i didn't ask.

while we waited to see. if the president was coming back his. press secretary. kaylee mcanini came in with a hand. delivery. leslie the president wanted me to. deliver his healthcare plan it's a. little heavy. oh my god this is his healthcare plan. yes okay koat thank you. you're welcome and the vice president. will be with you shortly okay. and the president's not coming back uh. the president's giving you. a lot of time it was heavy filled with. executive orders. congressional initiatives but no.

comprehensive health plan. hello leslie hi mr vice president. while our interview with the president. did not go forward. the one scheduled with the vice. president did. so what just happened with the president. leslie uh president trump is a man who. speaks his mind. i think it's one of the great strengths. that he's had but he was president of. the united states is that the american.

people always know where they stand. and he's always ready and the american. people know that in this time it's. it's it's less about the back and forth. with the media and it's. it's really more about how we bring this. country all the way back. we then asked the vice president to put. on his hat. as the head of the white house. coronavirus task force. dr fauci you know the president. said that he's a disaster and he. and the other public health officials.

around him are idiots do you. care to comment on that. the scientists who've worked around the. white house coronavirus task force who. will meet again today here at the white. house. have provided a great public service. they brought the perspective of. scientists. all along the way and i have a i have a. strong relationship with dr fauci and dr. burks. but remember the president of the united. states has to consider the whole. of america the president's been.

balancing the broad interests of the. country. uh and the health of the american people. and we'll continue to do that every day. so let's say there's a mother out there. let's say in a hot spot in wisconsin. and she's wondering whether she should. send her children to school. now what's your advice leslie we got to. get our kids back in school and i would. say to that mother. or any mother that we're going to. continue to work our hearts out. to make sure that those schools have the.

testing have the ppe. have the supplies they need to get our. kids back where they belong safe and. sound in the classroom. so are you saying she should send the. kids back should the kids wear masks. i think they should adhere to whatever. criteria. the school administrators and local. health officials determined to be. appropriate. but really again i want to say the. american academy of pediatricians made. it clear. early on that distance. learning this online learning is no.

substitute for being. in the classroom what about thanksgiving. should people feel safe to get together. with their family with their. grandparents with their aunts and uncles. thanksgiving is one of my favorite. holidays me too. and and i'm looking forward to it with. our family with a big with. extended i think that's a decision every. american family can make. based on the circumstances in their. community the.

vulnerability of particular family. members you know one of the things we. apprehended early on is that seniors. particularly those with serious. underlying health conditions are. the most at risk for a serious outcome. if they contract the coronavirus. and so families may make a decision that. that. certain elderly family members might. take a pass. but but i think the difference between. president trump and me and. and some of the public voices in this. debate over the last year has been we.

trust the american people. nora o'donnell talks with former vice. president joe biden. and is running mate senator kamala. harris when we come back.