Trump Threatens to Walk Out During ’60 Minutes’ Interview (Video)

President Donald Trump’s much-hyped return to 60 Minutes ended in a fiery meltdown that CBS viewers never saw on air.

In his first sit-down with the network since suing them for $16 million last year, Trump lashed out at anchor Norah O’Donnell, threatened to walk out mid-interview, and issued a chilling warning about restarting U.S. nuclear weapons tests — all while defending a controversial pardon that has Democrats crying foul.

At the center of the clash was Trump’s pardon of crypto tycoon Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the disgraced Binance founder who admitted to violating U.S. money laundering laws. Zhao’s four-month prison sentence was abruptly wiped away by Trump in what critics called a glaring conflict of interest: Just weeks before the pardon, Binance poured more than $2 billion into a stablecoin platform run by Trump’s sons, Don Jr. and Eric.

O’Donnell pressed Trump on the timing. “Not concerned about the appearance of corruption?” she asked.

Trump bristled. “Norah, I can only tell you this: My sons are into it. They’re running a business. They’re not in government,” he said.

That’s when the president snapped.

“I’d rather not have you ask the question,” Trump fired back. “But I let you ask it. You came to me and said, ‘Can I ask another question?’ and I said yeah. This is the question? I coulda walked away. I didn’t have to answer this. But I’m proud to. We’ve taken crypto.”

The entire outburst was sliced from the edited 28-minute segment CBS aired Sunday night. It didn’t appear in the hour-long YouTube cut either. But the network quietly included it in the full transcript — revealing an off-script Trump boasting that “we’re number one in crypto because I’m the president,” and blaming Biden for “blowing it” before pivoting into an odd monologue about China and digital currency dominance.

Pressed further, Trump tried to distance himself from the Binance CEO. “I know nothing about it because I’m too busy,” he said. Yet in the same breath, he blasted the Justice Department — now under his own administration — for prosecuting Zhao in the first place. “It’s a corrupt government. Biden was the most corrupt president we ever had. I only care about one thing — are we number one in crypto?”

Democrats pounced on the contradiction. “This reeks of self-dealing,” Rep. Jamie Raskin told MSNBC. “Trump’s using presidential pardons to boost his family’s crypto empire.”

Trump’s chaotic return to 60 Minutes comes just months after CBS quietly settled a lawsuit he filed in 2024. The president accused the network of “fraudulently editing” an interview with then-candidate Kamala Harris to make her appear more coherent on the Israel-Gaza conflict. CBS paid out $16 million in July — a deal Trump framed as a major legal victory.

But Sunday’s sit-down may have opened up a new political firestorm.

In one of the most alarming moments — also cut from the TV version — Trump claimed Russia and China are conducting secret underground nuclear weapons tests and vowed the U.S. would start doing the same. O’Donnell appeared stunned. “That would certainly be very newsworthy,” she said, pushing back on the claim. “My understanding was Russia tested the delivery systems, not the warheads.”

Trump was undeterred. “As powerful as they are, this is a big world. You don’t necessarily know where they’re testing,” he insisted. “They test way underground. You feel a little bit of a vibration.”

Nuclear experts called Trump’s comments reckless. “This is how nuclear arms races begin,” warned former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Restarting testing would undermine global stability and make us less safe.”

When asked directly if he planned for the United States to detonate a nuclear bomb for the first time since 1992, Trump replied, “Yes. I’m saying we’re going to test nuclear weapons like other countries do.”

No major country besides North Korea has carried out a nuclear test in over two decades. Both Russia and China have observed the testing moratorium since the 1990s.

Trump’s defenders tried to spin the interview as “tough but fair,” but the backlash was swift. “This wasn’t an interview,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted on X. “It was a warning. Trump’s pardons, threats, and lies are out of control. And if we’re not careful, he’ll take us all down with him.”

The 60 Minutes transcript may be the only full record of what really happened that day. But for those watching closely, the takeaway is clear: Trump’s second term is already steeped in scandal, secrecy, and nuclear brinkmanship — and it’s only just begun.