Recently, President Donald Trump sat for an interview for 60 Minutes with journalist Lesley Stahl, and it didn’t exactly go great. Trump has complained to high heaven about the interview, which he referred to on Twitter as “terrible Electoral Intrusion,” as if he wants to convince people that journalists are conspiring to undercut his campaign via… asking him questions. In footage of the interview that has emerged, Trump freaks out — there’s no other reasonable way to describe his response to Stahl’s off-the-cuff quip that she would be asking “tough questions.” As it turns out, Vice President Mike Pence’s 60 Minutes interview didn’t go great either. Footage has emerged in which Stahl harshly criticizes the VP for giving a “set campaign speech.”
LESLEY STAHL: "You're okay with some tough questions?"
TRUMP: "No, I'm not."
STAHL: "You're not okay with tough questions?"
Trump thinks this looks *good* for him!!! pic.twitter.com/fhfPUnpFwn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 22, 2020
In a clip, Stahl says:
‘Mr. Vice President, this was not a rally. This was not just a campaign speech to the public. This was supposed to be an interview, and the same with the president, and I feel that you both have insulted 60 Minutes by not answering any of our questions and by giving set campaign speeches that we’ve heard both of you give at rallies, without answering our questions.’
After Pence asked for an example, Stahl pointed out that he had failed to meaningfully answer a question about Trump referring to Dr. Anthony Fauci as an “idiot.” Watch the footage from Pence’s interview below:
Lesley Stahl to @Mike_Pence in video posted by the White House: “This was supposed to be an interview, and the same with the President. And I feel that you both have insulted 60 Minutes….by giving set campaign speeches.” More from @SecretsBedard: https://t.co/xMtemZe5NU pic.twitter.com/7Qlgzctmks
— Brent Baker (@BrentHBaker) October 22, 2020
These 60 Minutes interviews are, of course, not the first time that the president and his top political allies have failed to answer basic questions. They have had four years to come up with a replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act that comes anywhere close to the comprehensive protections that were enacted by the original legislation, but they currently have nothing of the sort on the table — although they’re still advocating for the U.S. Supreme Court to throw out the original healthcare law entirely anyway. Trump pick Amy Coney Barrett, who will presumably soon be confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court thanks to the rushed machinations of Senate Republicans, is on track to be on the bench when the administration’s case against the Affordable Care Act comes before the court.
Outside of the context of this 60 Minutes debacle, Trump has repeatedly struggled when confronted with the basic question of what his agenda for a potential second term would be. He has gone on vague and rambling word salad rants, but he has failed to present a progressive vision for the future to the American people.