Fact-checking Trump's 60 minutes interview

[FreeinChrist]

The 60 minutes interview was one of confabulation or lies, or evidence of cognitive decline. He denies knowing anything about the pardon of Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire owner of Binance which means he was either lying, or confused, or he is letting other people sign his name (autopen) who are doing things without his knowledge.

But there is more. Here is some fact checking:

Factchecking Trump on '60 Minutes'

Mehdi debunks the president's lies, unpacks the failure of our mainstream media, and has the latest from Gaza, as well as Trump's 'Great Gatsby'-esque Halloween party.

zeteo.com

Here’s what I did manage to catch, in terms of brazen lies, all of which were left unrebutted, uncorrected, unchallenged, by O’Donnell:

• “We had nine wars on our planet. I solved eight of ‘em.” I have debunked this nonsensical claim before.
• “We have no inflation.” Inflation is at 3%.
• “It’s at 2%. It’s-- it’s the perfect inflation.” Inflation is at 3%.
• “Right now [grocery prices are] going down.” Grocery prices are up 1.4% since Trump came to office.
• “A year ago, we were a dead country.” Not only did the US have the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in both 2023 and 2024, but the Economist magazine called it “the envy of the world.”
• “11,888 murderers were let into our country.” Not only is this number inaccurate, but many of the non-citizens convicted of homicide either here or abroad came in during Trump’s first term.
• “Washington, DC, was… almost like a crime capital of the world.” In 2023, per PolitiFact, “at least 49 other cities in the world had higher homicide rates.
• “[Biden] hardly went anywhere. Guy couldn’t leave his bedroom.” Not only did Joe Biden visit roughly as many countries in his term of office as Trump did in his first term, but Biden was the first US president to visit an active warzone – Ukraine – not under the control of US forces.
• “I made Middle East peace. For 3,000 years, they couldn’t do it.” There is no peace in Palestine, no peace deal in place, and it isn’t a 3,000-year-old conflict.
• “Communist, not socialist. Communist. He’s far worse than a socialist.” Zohran Mamdani is not a communist.
• “I can’t give them $1.5 trillion so that they can give welfare to people that came into our country illegally.” The Trump/GOP claim that Democrats want to give free healthcare to undocumented immigrants has been repeatedly debunked.
• “They emptied their mental institutions and their insane asylums-- into the United States of America.” Asylum seekers don’t come from “insane asylums.” Obviously.

The interview was edited far more that the interview with Kamala Harris, and he lied about the edit that was done.
But apparently, he's special.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

The 60 minutes interview was one of confabulation or lies, or evidence of cognitive decline. He denies knowing anything about the pardon of Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire owner of Binance which means he was either lying, or confused, or he is letting other people sign his name (autopen) who are doing things without his knowledge.

But there is more. Here is some fact checking:

Factchecking Trump on '60 Minutes'

Mehdi debunks the president's lies, unpacks the failure of our mainstream media, and has the latest from Gaza, as well as Trump's 'Great Gatsby'-esque Halloween party.

zeteo.com

Here’s what I did manage to catch, in terms of brazen lies, all of which were left unrebutted, uncorrected, unchallenged, by O’Donnell:

• “We had nine wars on our planet. I solved eight of ‘em.” I have debunked this nonsensical claim before.
• “We have no inflation.” Inflation is at 3%.
• “It’s at 2%. It’s-- it’s the perfect inflation.” Inflation is at 3%.
• “Right now [grocery prices are] going down.” Grocery prices are up 1.4% since Trump came to office.
• “A year ago, we were a dead country.” Not only did the US have the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in both 2023 and 2024, but the Economist magazine called it “the envy of the world.”
• “11,888 murderers were let into our country.” Not only is this number inaccurate, but many of the non-citizens convicted of homicide either here or abroad came in during Trump’s first term.
• “Washington, DC, was… almost like a crime capital of the world.” In 2023, per PolitiFact, “at least 49 other cities in the world had higher homicide rates.
• “[Biden] hardly went anywhere. Guy couldn’t leave his bedroom.” Not only did Joe Biden visit roughly as many countries in his term of office as Trump did in his first term, but Biden was the first US president to visit an active warzone – Ukraine – not under the control of US forces.
• “I made Middle East peace. For 3,000 years, they couldn’t do it.” There is no peace in Palestine, no peace deal in place, and it isn’t a 3,000-year-old conflict.
• “Communist, not socialist. Communist. He’s far worse than a socialist.” Zohran Mamdani is not a communist.
• “I can’t give them $1.5 trillion so that they can give welfare to people that came into our country illegally.” The Trump/GOP claim that Democrats want to give free healthcare to undocumented immigrants has been repeatedly debunked.
• “They emptied their mental institutions and their insane asylums-- into the United States of America.” Asylum seekers don’t come from “insane asylums.” Obviously.

The interview was edited far more than the interview with Kamala Harris, and he lied about the edits that were made.
But apparently, he's special.

I am not even going to watch the interview because I already know it was cut and edited to make Trump look just as bad as they did, trying to prop Kamala Harris up to make her look good.

 

[Servus]

Is this actually supposed to be anything new? These kinds of claims have been made over and over again since 2016.

 

[FenderTL5]

Is this actually supposed to be anything new?

No, it is not new.

These kinds of claims have been made over and over again since 2016.

Trump lies incessantly.

 

[Servus]

No, it is not new.

Trump lies incessantly.

So they say.

 

[FenderTL5]

So they say.

It hasn't been shown, much less proven, otherwise.

 

[Servus]

It hasn't been shown, much less proven, otherwise.

Trump being misquoted and misinterpreted has been exposed several times. Anti-Trump liberal media has been on a blatantly obvious hit job campaign from the beginning.

 

[Tuur]

The 60 minutes interview was one of confabulation or lies, or evidence of cognitive decline.

Is this the opinion of everyone on the CF Advisory Team? Does everyone who isn't a Democrat just need to leave?

 

[Paulos23]

I am not even going to watch the interview because I already know it was cut and edited to make Trump look just as bad as they did, trying to prop Kamala Harris up to make her look good.

He makes it hard for them to make him look good to a majority of Americans.

 

[hedrick]

First, it's not cognitive decline. He's always been that way. Second, I'm not sure he sees it as lying. Watching his behavior I think he just pull things out of thin air to express his feelings. They look like facts, but you shouldn't checki them for accuracy. He's just saying he thinks he's doing a great job with the economy.

 

[Fantine]

Is this the opinion of everyone on the CF Advisory Team? Does everyone who isn't a Democrat just need to leave?

Are you trying to end Democracy at CF as well?
Most of the advisors seem to be conservative--not the 50-50 balance that would be ideal.
I thinki it has something to do with Jonathan Haidt's hierarchy of values. Conservatives value authoritarianism far more than progressives (in Haidt's theory, characteristics are value neutral. Authoritarianism isn't inferior to participatory government.)
So in CF, it is the conservatives who are more attracted to being advisors. Progressives are more laissez Faire. The imbalance is unfortunate.
(I am responding to a comment on this thread...perhaps the comment i am responding to was off-topic.l

 

[iluvatar5150]

I am not even going to watch the interview because I already know it was cut and edited to make Trump look just as bad as they did, trying to prop Kamala Harris up to make her look good.

Oh, you know that, huh? We have the full transcript as well as the two edited videos. Which parts were cut out to make Trump look bad?

Here's the tv edit:

President Donald Trump: The 2025 60 Minutes Interview

Watch as President Trump discusses testing nuclear weapons, U.S.-China relations, Israel, the government shutdown, immigration, tariffs, and whether he'll try to stay in the White House beyond 2028.

www.cbsnews.com

Here's the extended online edit:

President Donald Trump's extended 60 Minutes interview

Norah O'Donnell sat down with President Donald J. Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss U.S.-China relations, Venezuela, Israel, the government shutdown, immigration, the National Guard and more. Editor's note: The video above is an extended version of the interview that was broadcast on 60 Minutes on...

www.cbsnews.com

Here's the full transcript:

Read the full transcript of Norah O'Donnell's interview with President Trump here.

Read the full transcript of Norah O'Donnell's interview with President Trump here.

www.cbsnews.com

Here's Axios describing some of what was cut from the different versions, including the question about his pardon of Changpeng Zhao:

https://www.axios.com/2025/11/03/trump-60-minutes-editing-criticism-binance

 

[Say it aint so]

I am not even going to watch the interview because I already know it was cut and edited to make Trump look just as bad as they did, trying to prop Kamala Harris up to make her look good.

The transcript in full is available unedited. And yes, he sounds unhinged and lies like there is no tomorrow. Why he chooses to lie about things so blatantly false should be a case study for psychiatrists. When asked if he asked his DOJ to go after Comey and Tish James Trump said, "“No, and not in any way, shape or form. No.” When there is this he posted on Truth Social:

 

[BCP1928]

The transcript in full is available unedited. And yes, he sounds unhinged and lies like there is no tomorrow. Why he chooses to lie about things so blatantly false should be a case study for psychiatrists. When asked if he asked his DOJ to go after Comey and Tish James Trump said, "“No, and not in any way, shape or form. No.” When there is this he posted on Truth Social:

View attachment 372650

No, I think Hedrick is right. He just says stuff that he thinks sounds good. He has no real internalized standard of truth so he really can't tell an intentional falsehood.

 

[Say it aint so]

No, I think Hedrick is right. He just says stuff that he thinks sounds good. He has no real internalized standard of truth so he really can't tell an intentional falsehood.

A trait of a sociopath.

 

[Richard T]

I only want to say that I had to laugh at "perfect inflation" being 2 percent. Yes, I know that is the target but it is basically giving in to halving the dollars value every 36 years. It appears that Greenspan adopted the target. He was coy about it. "Greenspan reminded members of their obligation not to disclose any decisions it might reach regarding the inflation target. With an eye on potential political and market blowback, he warned, "I will tell you that if the 2 percent inflation figure gets out of this room, it is going to create more problems for us than I think any of you might anticipate." The Origins of the 2 Percent Inflation Target

 

[Always in His Presence]

Is this the opinion of everyone on the CF Advisory Team? Does everyone who isn't a Democrat just need to leave?

shhh....

 

[Always in His Presence]

Here’s what I did manage to catch, in terms of brazen lies, all of which were left unrebutted, uncorrected, unchallenged, by O’Donnell:

• “We had nine wars on our planet. I solved eight of ‘em.” I have debunked this nonsensical claim before.

Let's check the checker shall we?

1. Democratic Republic of the Congo — Rwanda (Washington Accord)
   • Date: 27 June 2025 (signed in Washington, D.C.)
   • What: U.S.-brokered peace agreement intended to end fighting in eastern DRC, including a pledge for Rwandan troop withdrawal and security arrangements; signed in Washington.
   • Status: Signed; widely reported by Reuters, AP and the U.S. State Department. State Department+2Reuters+2
2. India — Pakistan (U.S.-facilitated ceasefire)
   • Date: 10 May 2025 (ceasefire announced)
   • What: A “full and immediate” ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a dangerous escalation; U.S. (Trump administration) publicly presented itself as a mediator.
   • Status: Ceasefire announced and reported by major outlets and the U.S. State Department; the truce was fragile with reports of violations shortly after. State Department+2Reuters+2
3. Iran — Israel (ceasefire ending the June 2025 escalation)
   • Date: 24 June 2025 (effective date reported)
   • What: A U.S.- and Qatar-mediated ceasefire that ended a short but intense exchange (often called the “12-Day War” in coverage); Trump publicly announced the deal.
   • Status: Widely reported as a ceasefire; some details and claims were contested, but multiple outlets covered the deal. Wikipedia+1
4. Armenia — Azerbaijan (peace declaration; White House signing ceremony)
   • Date: 8 August 2025 (initialed / joint declaration at the White House)
   • What: Joint declaration/peace agreement initialed in Washington aiming to end the Nagorno-Karabakh era of conflict; Trump hosted the leaders and was presented as a mediator/witness.
   • Status: Initialed and text published; reported by Reuters and others. Reuters+1
5. Israel — Hamas / Gaza (October 2025 ceasefire / Gaza “peace plan”)
   • Date: Early–mid October 2025 (initial phases/ceasefire around Oct 9–10, 2025)
   • What: A multilateral, U.S.-led 20-point plan and associated ceasefire phases aimed at pausing fighting in Gaza and arranging hostage releases; Trump was the U.S. lead publicly promoting the plan.
   • Status: Agreement/first-phase ceasefire widely reported (October 2025); described and analyzed by CFR, Wikipedia and major press. (Note: the deal is complex and implementation has been contested.) Council on Foreign Relations+1
6. Thailand — Cambodia (ceasefire / Putrajaya / Kuala Lumpur declarations)
   • Date(s): July–October 2025 (Putrajaya declarations July 28 referenced; signing / summit activity in late October)
   • What: Declarations and a ceasefire framework between Thailand and Cambodia, publicized during U.S. diplomatic/ASEAN engagement and in White House releases.
   • Status: The White House and regional coverage describe a U.S.-facilitated de-escalation; independent international press covered later ceremonial signings. (White House material and Al Jazeera/other reporting available.) The White House+2The White House+2
7. Serbia — Kosovo (re-engagement/normalization steps claimed)
   • Date / note: White House materials include Serbia–Kosovo in lists of 2025 achievements; however, the major Serbia–Kosovo documents widely cited were from 2020 and independent reporting in 2025 discusses diplomatic re-engagement rather than a brand-new full treaty. The White House+1
8. Egypt — Ethiopia (claimed U.S. role in “keeping peace”)
   • Date / note: The White House narrative has included Egypt–Ethiopia among issues the administration says it helped stabilize; independent outlets note the longstanding GERD dispute remains unresolved and coverage characterizes any 2025 progress as limited. The White House+1
9. “Abraham Accords expansion” / other Israel-normalizations
   • Date / note: The White House materials sometimes bundle earlier Abraham Accords work and newly announced steps or bilateral openings in 2025; some are ceremonial or exploratory (overflights, talks, recognitions) rather than fresh full diplomatic normalization treaties. Independent reporting distinguishes the 2020 Abraham Accords from 2025 actions. The White House+1

Links provided - the debunking has been debunked. IMHO