Trump’s “60 Minutes” Interview Riddled with Factual Inaccuracies

Former President Donald Trump’s latest interview with “60 Minutes” contained at least 18 false claims, most of which have been previously debunked by fact-checkers. The interview, recorded Friday and aired Sunday on CBS, saw Trump repeat numerous misleading statements despite corrections from interviewer Norah O’Donnell.

During the nearly 90-minute exchange, which was edited to approximately 28 minutes for television, Trump made incorrect assertions about economic indicators, immigration figures, foreign policy, and his own record as president.

The economy featured prominently among Trump’s inaccurate claims. When O’Donnell pointed out that Americans have experienced rising grocery prices, Trump contradicted her, insisting: “No, you’re wrong. They went up under Biden. Right now they’re going down.” Consumer Price Index data directly contradicts this claim, showing grocery prices increased about 0.3% from August to September, with a 2.7% rise since September 2023, and a 1.4% increase since January 2024, when Trump returned to office.

Trump also falsely declared “we have no inflation” and claimed inflation is “down to 2%, even less than 2%.” In reality, the most recent inflation figure stands at approximately 3% year-over-year in September, relatively unchanged from the roughly 3% rate in January when the Biden administration ended and Trump’s second term began. Inflation has actually been worsening since May after hitting a four-year low in April.

The former president’s claims about Biden-era inflation were similarly inaccurate. While inflation did reach a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022 under Biden, Trump wrongly claimed it was “the worst inflation rate in the history of our country.” The all-time U.S. record stands at 23.7%, set in 1920.

Trump’s assertions about investment in the United States were equally misleading. He repeatedly claimed “$17 trillion” is currently being invested in the U.S., later amending this to “more than $17 trillion.” The White House’s own website lists “major investment announcements” during Trump’s term at $8.9 trillion – and a CNN review found this figure includes trillions in vague investment pledges from foreign countries and companies that may reflect bilateral trade rather than actual U.S. investment.

On international trade, Trump continued his long-standing claim that China and other countries pay the tariffs he imposed on their exports. This mischaracterizes how tariffs work, as they are actually paid by U.S. importers who often pass costs to American consumers. Studies from the U.S. International Trade Commission and other sources have consistently shown that Americans bore almost the entire cost of Trump’s first-term tariffs on Chinese products.

Trump’s statements on foreign aid and immigration contained significant exaggerations. He claimed former President Biden gave $350 billion in aid to Ukraine, though the actual figure is well under half that amount. He also asserted that Biden allowed “25 million” migrants into the country, another figure that experts note is grossly inflated.

The interview contained several other misleading claims, including assertions about Trump having “ended eight wars” (his list includes non-wars and at least one conflict that continues), and the false claim that CBS aired an edited interview with Vice President Kamala Harris “two days” before the election, when it was actually more than four weeks before Election Day.

Throughout the exchange, O’Donnell attempted to correct some of Trump’s misstatements in real-time, including his claims about grocery prices and inflation. CBS published a full transcript of the interview, which the network said ran for nearly 90 minutes before being edited for broadcast.

This “60 Minutes” appearance marks the latest instance of Trump making numerous false statements in a high-profile media interview, continuing a pattern that has characterized his public communications during and after his first administration.