Trump bristled at questions about Whitmer in ’60 Minutes’ interview before walking out

LANSING — President Donald Trump bristled at questions related to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer during an interview Tuesday with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” shortly before abruptly halting the interview, a recording Trump released on Facebook shows.

After leaving the interview, Trump criticized Lesley Stahl, the veteran CBS reporter who was questioning him, on Twitter.

The interview is scheduled to air Sunday. But late Thursday morning, Trump posted a nearly 38-minute video on Facebook that he said shows his entire interview with Stahl. Trump had earlier tweeted about his plans to release the video, apparently concerned about how CBS would edit the interview.

Stahl asks Trump several questions about Whitmer, who was the planned target of an alleged kidnapping plot recently foiled by federal and state officials.

The president repeats several inaccurate statements about the governor and state. For example, he says the state remains under a lockdown and the governor shut down places of worship, which Whitmer exempted from enforcement of her executive orders. Michigan’s stay-at-home order was lifted June 1.

But Trump told Stahl he never said, “Lock her up,” about either Whitmer or Hillary Clinton, his 2016 Democratic opponent. And he denied encouraging his supporters to chant “Lock her up” about either woman.

“It’s not me,” Trump said. “They say it. I don’t encourage it.”

The questions about Whitmer are near the end of the interview. After Trump criticizes Stahl for asking “tough questions,” a staff member says they are nearing the end of the available time for the interview, with about five minutes left before Trump is to be joined by Vice President Mike Pence.

At that point, Trump says: “I think we have enough of an interview here,” and ends the session.https://www.usatodaynetworkservice.com/tangstatic/html/pdtf/sf-q1a2z3be0d353f.min.html

Trump pushed back at Stahl when she asked: “You don’t want to lock up Gov. Whitmer?”

“When did I say lock up the governor?” Trump asks. “Why would I lock her up?” He adds: “Of course I don’t want to lock her up.” 

Trump attended a rally near Muskegon on Saturday where he criticized Whitmer’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. In response, many in the crowd chanted, “Lock her up.” The president, laughing, said: “Lock them all up,” according to video of the event.

But Trump told Stahl he never said, “Lock her up,” about either Whitmer or Hillary Clinton, his 2016 Democratic opponent. And he denied encouraging his supporters to chant “Lock her up” about either woman.

“It’s not me,” Trump said. “They say it. I don’t encourage it.”

The questions about Whitmer are near the end of the interview. After Trump criticizes Stahl for asking “tough questions,” a staff member says they are nearing the end of the available time for the interview, with about five minutes left before Trump is to be joined by Vice President Mike Pence.

At that point, Trump says: “I think we have enough of an interview here,” and ends the session.

He earlier told Stahl: “You brought up a lot of subjects that were inappropriately brought up,” and complained that when Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is interviewed, he gets “softball after softball.”

The Washington Post, quoting an unnamed person “with knowledge of what happened during the interview,” said Trump was “unhappy that Stahl asked him tough questions regarding his rhetoric” about Whitmer, as well as his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the sizes of the crowds he is drawing to rallies, and his disputes with Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, among other issues.

Trump has been blasting Whitmer on Twitter and during TV interviews for months as she has repeatedly criticized his response to the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of a national strategy.

On Sunday, on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Whitmer accused Trump of inciting domestic terrorism.

“It’s incredibly disturbing that the president of the United States, 10 days after a plot to kidnap, put me on trial and execute me — 10 days after that was uncovered — the president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism,” Whitmer said, referring to Trump’s Saturday campaign appearance.

“It is dangerous, not just for me and my family, but for public servants everywhere,” said Whitmer, calling on opinion leaders everywhere to “call this out” and demand Trump tamp down his remarks.

Federal and state officials have charged 14 men in connection with alleged domestic terror plots that included a plan to kidnap Whitmer from her family’s vacation home in northern Michigan. Defendants in the case conducted surveillance of the home on two occasions and discussed abducting her by boat and taking her to Wisconsin to “stand trial” for treason, according to investigators.

During the Muskegon rally, Trump appeared to summarize the alleged plot against Whitmer with the words: “I guess they say she was threatened.”

Trump has said Whitmer should be appreciative because federal officials uncovered and foiled the plot.

In the “60 Minutes” interview, Trump said: “I don’t know anything about the plot, but I can tell you this — it was our Justic

e Department that’s helping her.”

He agreed he has been critical of Whitmer and said: “I think it’s disgraceful what she’s done.” He said the only person in Michigan not “locked down” is Whitmer’s husband, “who went sailing.”

That was a reference to a controversy in late May when Whitmer’s husband, dentist Marc Mallory, asked a boat contractor whether his status as Michigan’s “first gentleman” would help him get his boat in the water ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. Whitmer said her husband was only joking and he regretted the incident.

Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown said Thursday that “now is not the time for division” and the nation needs a leader who will “denounce domestic terrorist groups and bring Americans together to fight COVID-19.”