President Trump tore into Democrats over the continued authorities shutdown, justified his order to restart nuclear weapons testing within the US and defended his administration's ICE raids in a sometimes-intense “60 Minutes” interview Sunday – his first with CBS Information since suing the community's father or mother firm.
The temperature was excessive from the get-go as anchor Norah O'Donnell, sitting with Trump at his gilded Florida Mar-a-Lago property, got here out of the gates with a query in regards to the president's dealing with of the shutdown, the second-longest in US historical past at 33 days.
“You've gotten helped these authorities shutdowns up to now,” O'Donnell mentioned, prompting a testy back-and-forth by which the 2 tried to speak over each other.
Trump then shot again: “I'm not gonna do it by being extorted by the Democrats who've misplaced their method. There's one thing fallacious with these individuals.”
When the commander in chief was lastly capable of get a full phrase in, he pinned the blame on a Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, whom he known as a “basket case.”
“He's gonna be defeated within the subsequent election by an unlimited variety of individuals. And he has nothing to lose. He's turn out to be a kamikaze pilot,” Trump railed.
Trump later doubled down on his intention to restart testing the US' nuclear weaponry, which he boasted might “blow up the world 150 occasions.”
“Why do we have to take a look at our nuclear weapons?” O'Donnell snapped.
To which Trump replied: “We're the one nation that doesn't take a look at, and I don't wanna be the one nation that doesn't take a look at.”
The president additionally claimed that China and Russia are actively testing their nuclear weapons.
Trump defined that, if there have been a rating, the US would have the perfect nuclear weapons, with Russia shortly behind and China in third. O'Donnell famous that it “can be definitely very newsworthy” if there was any affirmation that China was testing its nuclear weapons.
The commander in chief defended his administration's ICE raids and argued “they haven't gone far sufficient” when O'Donnell cited considerations from critics.
The interview additionally waded into New York Metropolis's mayor's race, with Trump slamming “communist” frontrunner Zohran Mamdani.
Trump floated withholding authorities funds if the frontrunning democratic socialist emerges on
high.
“And it's gonna be arduous for me because the president to provide some huge cash to New York. As a result of if in case you have a Communist operating New York, all you're doing is losing the cash you're sending there,” Trump mentioned.
