Donald Trump Defends ‘Biggest Rallies’ He’s Ever Had, Tells Lesley Stahl She’s ‘So Negative’
President Donald Trump defended the “biggest rallies” he’s ever had in an unedited interview with “60 Minutes” host Lesley Stahl, during which he called the newscaster “so negative.”
In a Facebook post, which can be seen below, Trump shared the raw video of his entire conversation with Stahl, claiming in the caption that it revealed that the broadcaster did not give him an unbiased interview.
https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/10165668067695725?__cft__[0]=AZUHoJhyF7mJFuid6TYfHMdTY_sYqQzXB4NjzzV2jmwcP2Z9T8WuB1ugGcIXKDnPiT2KvySIJC3blIr5ZPQ21s0uxFFNxEf0MRdWeYhVMPkZOUGzGj77dHwMxHfN3WCyhpmvLoMociq-uISlHXtN2Eq00M19YXJwfhbjILu4DinfIgm8UhdacXuwEalnrUp_WclfTsQZgatwOmch7avdtkbS&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
During the interview, Stahl asked the president whether he believed that masks work to prevent the spread of coronavirus. He responded that he feels they “possibly” work, before adding that keeping a certain social distance is also important. He went on to say that he has nothing against them and that he tells people to wear them.
The news anchor then asked him about his recent rallies, during which most attendees have not worn masks and have been crowded together in close quarters.
“A lot of people are wearing masks, and they’re outside,” he said.
Stahl responded that “a lot of people aren’t,” and noted that she saw people crammed into small spaces at the events, most without masks. She then asked what message he is sending by promoting rallies with large crowds and few masks.
Trump answered by pointing to the number of attendees at a recent rally.
“Yesterday we were in Arizona, record-setting rallies, numbers of people like nobody’s seen before. Many, many masks, I watched,” he said.
Stahl then said that he used to have “much bigger rallies.”
Trump responded, “No, these are much bigger than I ever had.”
The newscaster said that she didn’t want to bicker about crowd size, which prompted Trump to accuse her of being “negative.”
“You’re so negative, you’re so negative. These are the biggest rallies we’ve ever had,” he said, accusing her of having a “negative attitude.”
Trump’s rallies in Arizona have, in fact, drawn large crowds, although no official attendance numbers appear to be available. A photo tweeted by NBC News reporter Vaughn Hillyard does appear to show a large crowd at a rally in the town of Prescott.
“I would raise one billion dollars in a day if I wanted to.”
-Trump in Arizona, after the Biden campaign announced it raised more than $300M in September. pic.twitter.com/x33cFFE2DB— Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) October 19, 2020
Similarly, The Arizona Republic reported that the Prescott rally had drawn “thousands” despite high temperatures.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the president’s interview with Stahl was so contentious that he abruptly cut it short and then later refused to participate in a segment he was scheduled to tape with Vice President Mike Pence. He later tweeted that the anchor had shown up at the White House not wearing a mask.
