President Trump took aim at a familiar foe on Sunday evening — blasting “CBS Fake News” for its “out of control” coverage and calling on the FCC to slap the network with “maximum fines and punishment.”
In a post on Truth Social, the president attacked the network over the Sunday episode of its longtime newsmagazine “60 Minutes,” which featured a sit-down interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a segment on opposition to Trump’s desire to take over Greenland.
“Almost every week, 60 Minutes…, mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all,” Trump wrote.
“Hopefully, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as headed by its Highly Respected Chairman, Brendan Carr, will impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior,” he continued.
CBS did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
During Sunday’s “60 Minutes” episode, Zelenskyy – who left his White House visit in February early after a heated meeting – urged Trump to visit Ukraine and claimed that “Russian narratives” on the war are prevailing in the US.
“How is it possible to witness our losses and our suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing, and to still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war?” Zelenskyy said, a likely reference to comments Trump made earlier this year implying Ukraine started the war. Trump later reversed course and acknowledged that Russia was the instigator.
“This speaks to the enormous influence of Russia’s information policy on America, on US politics and US politicians,” Zelenskyy continued.
The episode also included coverage of Greenlanders protesting Trump’s push to take over the territory. In his address to a joint session of Congress last month, the president said, “I think we’re gonna get it. One way or the other, we’re gonna get it.”
Though Trump has long condemned traditional media outlets, accusing them of biased reporting, he has made a particular target out of CBS News ever since its October “60 Minutes” interview with his then-opponent, former vice president Kamala Harris.
Later that month, he sued CBS over the episode, claiming it was deceptively edited to make Harris look better – stitching together her so-called “word salad” answers into more coherent clips.
The controversy broke out after the network broadcast a lengthy version of Harris’ answer on “Face the Nation,” and a different, more concise one on “60 Minutes.”
In a filing made public last month, CBS said “the transcript and unedited interview footage demonstrate that CBS engaged in commonplace editorial practices – specifically, by deciding what material from a lengthy sit-down interview would air in a time-limited television format.”
CBS owner Paramount and Trump are poised to begin mediation in the $20 billion suit, The New York Times reported last week.
Meanwhile, Carr has vowed to fast-track an FCC investigation into the “60 Minutes” incident and recently rejected the network’s bid to dismiss the complaint.
