Donald Trump shames TV host for not wearing a face mask

The interview was recorded on Tuesday at the White House
AFP via Getty Images
Michael Howie21 October 2020

Donald Trump shamed a TV host for not wearing a face mask today after the US President apparently stormed out of an interview with her because he was unhappy with the questioning.

The taped interview with CBS programme 60 minutes ended in acrimony with Mr Trump abruptly cutting short the grilling by presenter Lesley Stahl, according to the Washington Post.

The interview was recorded on Tuesday at the White House before Mr Trump flew to Pennsylania where he staged a rally two days before his second and final presidential debate with his Democratic challenger Joe Biden.

It is due to air on Sunday, but Mr Trump, 74, threatened to release his own edit in advance “for the sake of accuracy in reporting”.

He tweeted: “This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about...

“...Everyone should compare this terrible Electoral Intrusion with the recent interviews of Sleepy Joe Biden!”

Sources told the Post that Mr Trump had cut the interview short because he was unhappy with Stahl’s hardball approach. She had reportedly prefaced the conversation by asking the president if he was “ready for a tough interview”, before grilling him on his administration’s handling of the pandemic and his scathing criticism of America’s top infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci. She also reportedly questioned the veracity of allegations against Mr Biden’s son Hunter, and confronted him over his comments about Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who was recently revealed to have been the intended victim of a kidnapping plot.

Donald and Melania Trump - In pictures

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About 45 minutes into the taping, Mr Trump is said to have told his staff: “I think we’re done, do you guys agree?” before leaving the room to complain to his aides.

Mr Trump later staged a campaign rally in the city of Erie, opting to push his message into arguably the most important state on the electoral map while Mr Biden holed up to prepare for the debate on Thursday night in Nashville.

Mr Trump, trailing in polls in most battleground states, delivered what his campaign has wanted to be his closing message as he continued his travel blitz in the race’s final fortnight.

“This is an election between a Trump super recovery and a Biden depression. You will have a depression the likes of which you have never seen,” the president said.

“If you want depression, doom and despair, vote for Sleepy Joe. And boredom.”

US Elections 2020: Trump v Biden First Presidential Debate

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Also trailing in fundraising for campaign ads, Mr Trump is increasingly relying on his signature campaign rallies to maximise turnout among his base. His trip on Tuesday to Pennsylvania was one of what is expected to be several to the state in the next two weeks.

“If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole thing,” he said.

Erie County, which includes the ageing industrial city in the state’s north-west corner, went for Barack Obama by five percentage points in 2012 but broke for Mr Trump by two in 2016.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama was returning to Philadelphia for his first in-person campaign event for his former vice president.

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