A second debate looks unlikely to happen, but voters might still have another chance to hear a final pitch from former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in the form of back-to-back interviews on “60 Minutes.”
According to a report in Axios, the Harris campaign is talking to “60 Minutes” about the possibility of an interview, while Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung previously told the Associated Press to “stay tuned” regarding Trump’s plans.
Why it matters: With Trump ruling out a second debate with Harris, the CBS News juggernaut — which remains the nation's top-rated news show, drawing 11 million viewers last week for its 57th-season premiere — would give the campaigns one last mass audience, 29 days before Election Day.
The Harris campaign is in active talks with "60 Minutes." Trump sources say an interview is TBD.
- But a source familiar with the Trump negotiations teased: "Nobody gets ratings like President Donald J. Trump." [...]
Between the lines: Trump loves legacy media and "60 Minutes" remains the granddaddy of news broadcasts, fueled each fall by the show's NFL lead-in.
- The interview could be attractive for Harris to help squelch questions about avoiding tough interviews.
The backstory: "60 Minutes" took the unusual step of disclosing the interview overtures in a story by AP's David Bauder on Sept. 12.
- Scott Pelley has been assigned to interview Trump, and Bill Whitaker would interview Harris. Whitaker interviewed Harris last fall — providing a familiarity factor to help entice the campaign.
- The VP candidates, Tim Walz and JD Vance, are also invited to participate. (Axios)
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Bill Owens, executive producer of “60 Minutes," told AP earlier this month he's "confident" the interviews will happen.
“For either campaign, it wouldn’t be a great look if they turned down an opportunity to be on ‘60 Minutes,'" he said.
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