By Richard Colman
So Donald Trump walked out of a “60 Minutes” interview broadcast on Sun., Oct. 25, 2020.
There were two problems with the broadcast.
The first problem was Trump himself. By now, he should have developed enough political skills to handle any question.
The second problem was “60 Minutes” itself. “60 Minutes” has always been a form of show business. A serious topic is packaged so that it resembles some sort of Hollywood production.
“60 Minutes,” which first appeared in 1968, has become stale and boring. Leslie Stahl, who has been with CBS News for about 50 years, did not ask appropriate questions during the Trump interview.
Instead of Stahl, CBS should have tried to recruit an journalist with the intellectual acumen of the late Charles Krauthammer.
Here are several questions that “60 Minutes” should have asked Donald Trump on Sun, Oct. 25:
–In 2016, you campaigned against the “deep state,” meaning the bureaucracy. What, if anything, have you done to reduce the deep state?
–What is your plan to end the coronavirus pandemic?
–The United States is $27 trillion in debt. What, if anything, have you done to reduce this debt? In 1981, the debt was $1 trillion. In 1837, when Andrew Jackson was president, there was no national debt.
–Inflation is still a problem. Prices, have been rising 3% to 4% a year, according to government figures. What have you done to bring about price stability?
–Mr. President, you have been rude to people like Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. You have called the speaker, “Crazy Nancy.” You have also insulted such figures as the late Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida), and others. In McCain’s case, you criticized him before he died and after he died. What is your purpose in insulting other people, especially others with whom you have to work?
–Should government have a plan to provide health benefits to all Americans?
–What have you done to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?
Watching “60 Minutes” is a waste of time. The program makes celebrities out of people who should be doing news coverage, not trying to promote themselves as serious journalists.
Over its history, “60 Minutes” has made celebrities out of such individuals as Mike Wallace, Harry Reasoner, and Stahl herself.
It’s time that CBS canceled “60 Minutes.” CBS should go back to such entertainment programming as “I Love Lucy,” “The Jackie Gleason Show,” and “All in the Family.”
Richard Colman is the founder and president of Biomed Inc., a biotechnology, publishing, and informatics company. He is a biochemist and earned masters and doctoral degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. He lives in Orinda, California.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal.
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