Topline
President Donald Trump said he didn’t know who Binance founder Changpeng Zhao was—despite issuing a pardon last month for the crypto billionaire who pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws—in a 60 Minutes interview that aired on Sunday night, where the president also talked about the government shutdown, immigration raids and running for a third term.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the White House.
Getty Images
Key Facts
During the interview, the President was asked about his decision to pardon Zhao—who’s company has played a key role in boosting crypto projects backed by the Trump family.
Trump replied: “Okay, are you ready? I don’t know who he is…I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that and I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”
The interviewer, Norah O’Donnell, pointed out that Binance “helped facilitate a $2 billion purchase” of the Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial’s stable coin and asked, “How do you address the appearance of pay for play?”
Trump said, “Well, here’s the thing, I know nothing about it because I’m too busy.”
On his family’s crypto ventures, the president added: “I can only tell you this. My sons are into it. I’m glad they are, because it’s probably a great industry, crypto… they’re running a business, they’re not in government.”
When the pardon was issued, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump has exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for [Zhao]” who she claimed was “prosecuted by the Biden administration in their war on cryptocurrency.”
What Did Trump Say About The Shutdown During The Interview?
When asked about the ongoing government shutdown, which is on track to become the longest-ever in history, the president placed the blame squarely on the Democrats. Trump said: “The Republicans are voting almost unanimously to end it, and the Democrats keep voting against ending it.” The president didn’t offer any plan to end the shutdown and signaled that he expects the Democrats to eventually give in and vote to end the shutdown. “And if they don’t vote, that’s their problem,” he added.
What Trump Said About Healthcare?
Democrats have insisted that any deal to keep the government funded must include a commitment to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which will expire at the end of the year. If the subsidies aren’t extended, most enrollees’ premium payments are expected to double next year. Trump said the ACA, also referred to as Obamacare, was “terrible,” adding that “it’s bad health care at far too high a price.” He added, “We should fix that. We should fix it. And we can fix it with the Democrats. All they have to do is let the country open and we’ll fix it.” But when Trump said: “If we had the vote, that one vote, we would have great healthcare at a much lower cost,” O’Donnell asked, “But where is that plan? But where is that plan?” The president, however, didn’t share any details as he attacked the Democrats, claiming: “they want to give money to prisoners, to drug dealers, to all these millions of people that were allowed to come in with an open border from Biden.” Despite Trump and the Republicans party’s claims, undocumented migrants are ineligible for Medicaid or to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
What Did Trump Say About Cbs And 60 Minutes?
In an extended version of the interview posted on YouTube, Trump discussed the network’s parent company’s decision to pay him $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump brought up the issue while talking about the 2024 election as he attacked the media, claiming they “got behind” Harris after she replaced Biden as the Democratic nominee and added: “She wasn’t a very intelligent person, in my opinion…She could not speak. And actually, 60 Minutes paid me a lotta money. And you don’t have to put this on, because I don’t wanna embarrass you.” The president then praised CBS’s decision to hire Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of the news division, saying: “I think you have a great, new leader, frankly, who’s the young woman that’s leading your whole enterprise is a great— from what I know. I don’t know her, but I hear she’s a great person.”
What Trump Said About Ice Raids?
Trump strongly defended actions carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after O’Donnell asked if the agency’s raids had gone “too far.” The president said, “No. I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama.” The interviewer cited videos of “ICE tackling a young mother, tear gas being used in a Chicago residential neighborhood, and the smashing of car windows” and asked Trump if he endorsed these tactics. The president responded, “Yeah, because you have to get the people out.” Trump then claimed without evidence that many of the undocumented migrants were “thrown out of their countries because they were, you know, criminals. Many of them are people from jails and prisons. Many of them are people from frankly mental institutions.”
What Did Trump Say About A Third Term?
O’Donnell asked Trump if he would like to “set the record straight” about if he was going to not “try and run for a third term” adding that there has been a lot of “talk about 2028 and who will be at the top of the Republican ticket.” Trump responded: “I don’t even think about it. I will tell you, a lotta people want me to run. But the difference between us and the Democrats is we really do have a strong bench. I don’t wanna use names, because it’s, you know, inappropriate. But it’s too early.” Last week, Trump acknowledged that it was “pretty clear” that the rules don’t allow for him to run for a third term, despite him repeatedly hinting at such a move with comments and “Trump 2028” merchandise.
What Did Trump Say About Going To War With Venezuela?
When asked if the U.S. was about to go to war against Venezuela, Trump said: “I doubt it. I don’t think so. But they’ve been treating us very badly, not only on drugs— they’ve dumped hundreds of thousands of people into our country that we didn’t want.” The president then defended his military strikes against suspected drug boats off the coasts of Venezuela, saying: “Every single boat that you see that’s shot down kills 25,000 on drugs and destroys families all over our country.” Some lawmakers and legal experts have questioned the strikes, alleging the Trump administration had failed to provide adequate evidence that the targeted boats belonged to drug cartel members. When asked if Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro’s days are numbered, Trump said: “I think so, yeah.”
Crucial Quote
When pressed by O’Donnell if this meant he was readying potential land strikes in Venezuela, the president added: “I don’t tell you that. I mean— I’m not saying it’s true or untrue.” He continued: “I wouldn’t be inclined to say that I would do that…because I don’t talk to a reporter about whether or not I’m gonna strike… I’m not gonna tell you what I’m gonna do with Venezuela, if I was gonna do it or if I wasn’t going to do it.”
Further Reading
Full transcript of Norah O’Donnell’s interview with President Trump. (CBS News)
Trump Pardons Billionaire Binance Founder—And His Crypto Ally—Changpeng Zhao (Forbes)
Source link
