‘He Can Afford Not To Do It’: Mark Halperin Says Trump ‘Skipping 60 Minutes’ May Be Smart Move

Journalist Mark Halperin suggested Thursday that former President Donald Trump’s decision to skip an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” could be a politically savvy move.

While Vice President Kamala Harris participated in an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired on Monday, Trump opted to sit out doing one of his own. In response to a Harris supporter who criticized Trump’s choice on his 2WAY platform, Halperin argued the former president may have had more to lose than gain by participating, while it was essential for the vice president to take part. (RELATED: Harris Fails To Explain Flip-Flops, Says She Has No Regrets About Biden In First Interview)

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“The polls are quite clear on this, and the anecdotal is quite clear too. She’s got to show people what she’s about. People know what Donald Trump’s about. So skipping ’60 Minutes’ doesn’t really cost him anything. Is it bad pool? It is, but that’s the way it goes,” Halperin said. “He can afford not to do it. And that’s true for at least one reason, as said, people don’t know her as well. And it’s also true if Trump’s ahead, right? If he’s ahead, it’d be malpractice for him to agree to things that could cost him the lead.”

Harris faced a tough grilling during her “60 Minutes” interview in contrast to her recent friendly media blitz that consisted of appearances on “Call Her Daddy,” “The View,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “The Howard Stern Show.” CBS News’ Bill Whitaker pressed Harris on her many policy flip-flops, her vague economic plan and the border.

The network also seems to have discretely edited Harris’ response to a question about the Israel-Hamas war to be more concise and less muddled.

Trump and “60 Minutes” correspondent Leslie Stahl sparred during a 2020 interview over a laptop Hunter Biden abandoned at a repair shop. The former president cited the lack of an apology over the interview during a Tuesday press conference in Wisconsin as a reason for why he isn’t participating in 2024.

Trump and Harris are locked in a close race across the main seven swing states, with the former president currently ahead in five of them, according to the RealClearPolling averages.

Halperin said Tuesday that Harris is on a dismal trajectory to secure the battleground states based on the latest private polling he has observed. He also asserted that both Democrats and Trump affiliates he’s talked to are aligned in believing Trump is gaining traction in these crucial states.

CNN panelists on Wednesday said Democrats are increasingly anxious about Harris’ prospects against Trump in November amid their neck-and-neck race.

“Certainly some anxiety and nerves setting in as election day gets closer and those polls just remain deadlocked,” CNN correspondent Priscilla Alvarez said.

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