Donald Trump slams ’60 Minutes’ Emmy nomination, calls it a ‘slap in the face’

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has once again taken aim at the television industry, targeting the Emmy-nominated CBS program ’60 Minutes’ for its coverage of an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.

The segment, which aired in October, was recently nominated for a prestigious News and Documentary Emmy in the category of Outstanding Edited Interview. However, according to Deadline, this recognition has sparked controversy due to Trump’s ongoing $20 billion lawsuit against CBS.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this year, accuses CBS of deliberately editing Harris’s interview to misrepresent her comments and potentially influence the outcome of the 2020 election.

Trump argues that the edited footage created a misleading portrayal of the then-vice president, specifically around her response to questions about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lack of responsiveness to the Biden administration’s policies.

On Truth Social, Trump lashed out at the nomination, labelling it a “total slap in the face to anyone who believes in truth and honest journalism.”

pic.twitter.com/MwhZ7XCkP5

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 7, 2025

He further questioned the legitimacy of the nomination, asking, “Did 60 Minutes and its Corporate Parents apply to get an Emmy for an illegally falsified interview, or did other Fake Outlets nominate them for this dubious ‘honor’?”

The controversy stems from a discrepancy between the version of Harris’s interview shown on ’60 Minutes’ and a preview that aired on Face the Nation. In the ’60 Minutes’ segment, Harris commented on the work done to influence Israel’s stance on the region.

CBS argues that there was no deceptive editing, stating that Harris’s answer was split across both programs: the first part of her response was shown on Face the Nation, while the second part was aired on ’60 Minutes’.

Trump’s lawsuit, however, claims that this editing misrepresented the interview and violated Texas consumer law, according to Deadline.

Despite the lawsuit, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), the organisation responsible for the Emmy awards, has defended the nomination. According to a statement from NATAS, the segment was evaluated by two independent panels of judges, consisting of senior editorial leaders from various major US broadcast news organisations.

“From a field of more than three dozen entries in one of the year’s most competitive categories, the segment was nominated on the strength of its journalism,” the statement said. NATAS also emphasised that editorial or political viewpoints do not factor into the selection process.

The organisation clarified, “NATAS does not select nominees or winners, and intervenes only when competition rules are violated.” As per Deadline, many legal experts argue that Trump’s claims violate First Amendment protections for the press.

Furthermore, with Paramount Global currently seeking regulatory approval for its merger with Skydance, discussions between Trump’s legal team and the media conglomerate have reportedly centred on potential settlements.

The ’60 Minutes’ segment featuring Kamala Harris has been nominated for Outstanding Edited Interview, and the winners will be announced during the Emmy Awards ceremony on June 25.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Trump has criticised the television industry. In the past, he has lambasted the primetime Emmy Awards, which are overseen by the sister organisation, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, for not recognising his reality show ‘The Apprentice’. (ANI)