CBS News Edited Out Part of Trump’s 60 Minutes Interview That He Said Would ‘Embarrass’ Them, According to Full Transcript

Donald Trump’s recent appearance on 60 Minutes underwent several rounds of editing — including one change the former president personally suggested and approved.

According to the official CBS News transcript, edits were made across all versions of the conversation released by the program: the 28-minute televised broadcast, a 43-minute edit, and a 73-minute “extended” cut. Even the so-called extended edition carried an editor’s note on YouTube indicating that it had been “condensed for clarity.”

The interview, which aired on Sunday, Nov. 2, featured Trump speaking with Norah O’Donnell and was also posted by the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account on X. The post promoted the video as the “FULL interview,” claiming it had not been altered by the network. However, comparing the footage with CBS News’ official transcript shows that certain sections were still removed.

The Paramount Lawsuit Segment

One missing portion involved Trump’s remarks about his lawsuit against CBS’s parent company, Paramount. The president had sued over what he described as deceptive editing of then-Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris ahead of the election. The case was settled in 2025 for $16 million.

According to the transcript, Trump referenced the settlement but told O’Donnell that it didn’t need to be part of the final broadcast.

“Actually 60 Minutes paid me a lotta money. And you don’t have to put this on, because I don’t wanna embarrass you,” he said, before adding praise for the network’s new leadership. “But 60 Minutes was forced to pay me … because they took [Harris’] answer out that was so bad, it was election-changing … You can’t have fake news. You’ve gotta have legit news.”

Although omitted from shorter versions, the exchange appeared in the 73-minute extended edition.

The Changpeng “CZ” Zhao Pardon

Another edited segment involved Trump’s controversial pardon of Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who had been sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to money-laundering charges, according to USA Today.

Trump issued the pardon in October 2025, a move that raised conflict-of-interest questions due to his family’s involvement in the crypto venture World Liberty Finance. Portions of this discussion appeared in all released versions, but CBS narration noted that critics believed Binance had “helped boost the profile” of the Trump family’s crypto business.

When asked about the pardon, Trump replied, “I don’t know who he is,” claiming Zhao had been the target of “a Biden witch hunt.” He further distanced himself from his family’s enterprise: “My sons are into it. … I’m glad they are … They’re running a business; they’re not in government.”

The transcript shows additional comments cut from the broadcast. Trump agreed to answer two final questions and went on to describe Zhao as someone “treated really badly by the Biden administration” despite being “highly respected.” He added, “It may look bad if I do it. I have to do the right thing. I don’t know the man … Maybe somebody shook my hand or something.”

Trump went on to claim Zhao had been “a victim … of a vicious, horrible group of people in the Biden administration.” None of this appeared in the released videos.

When O’Donnell pressed him about potential corruption, Trump responded, “I’d rather not have you ask the question … But I let you ask it … Did I let you do it? I coulda walked away. … I’m proud to answer … We’ve taken crypto …” He reiterated that the U.S. must remain “number one in crypto,” arguing that prosecuting industry figures would “kill that industry” and hurt the economy.

Although O’Donnell had planned two more questions, the exchange concluded shortly after, with her thanking Trump for his time.