President Trump slammed Democrats over the ongoing government shutdown, defended his decision to restart U.S. nuclear weapons testing, and stood by his administration’s ICE raids during a tense '60 Minutes' interview Sunday — his first sit-down with CBS News since suing its parent company.
"You have helped these government shutdowns in the past," interviewer Norah O’Donnell pressed at the start of the sit-down, challenging Trump’s handling of the crisis and sparking a heated exchange as the two repeatedly talked over each other.
President Trump weighed in on New York City’s mayoral race — and much more — during his “60 Minutes” interview Sunday night. CBS
Trump shot back: “I’m not gonna do it by being extorted by the Democrats who have lost their way. There’s something wrong with these people.”
He went on to blame Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for the shutdown — the second-longest in U.S. history at 33 days — calling him a “basket case.”
“He’s gonna be defeated in the next election by a vast number of people. And he has nothing to lose. He’s become a kamikaze pilot,” Trump railed.
Trump kept up his attacks on Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist leading the NYC mayoral race. Aristide Economopoulos
Last week, Schumer floated a plan to pass a food-stamps-only bill — aimed at protecting SNAP benefits caught in the shutdown — instead of voting to fully reopen the government.
Since Oct. 1, Schumer and Senate Democrats have voted more than a dozen times to keep the government closed.
Later in the “60 Minutes” interview, Trump doubled down on his plan to resume U.S. nuclear weapons testing, boasting that America’s arsenal could “blow up the world 150 times.”
“Why do we need to test our nuclear weapons?” O’Donnell shot back.
Trump responded, "We’re the only country that doesn’t test, and I don’t wanna be the only country that doesn’t test."
The president then pointed to Russia and China, noting that both countries are actively testing their nuclear weapons.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia’s military successfully tested a nuclear-powered torpedo.
The president also reaffirmed his push for the U.S. to resume nuclear weapons testing. US AIR FORCE/AFP via Getty Images
Days earlier, Putin also touted Russia’s “invincible” nuclear-powered cruise missile, which experts have nicknamed a “tiny flying Chernobyl.”
Trump said that if nuclear arsenals were ranked, the U.S. would come out on top, with Russia close behind and China in third place.
The commander-in-chief defended his administration’s ICE raids, saying they “haven’t gone far enough” in response to critics’ concerns cited by O’Donnell.
The interview also touched on New York City’s mayoral race, with Trump attacking front-runner Zohran Mamdani, whom he labeled a “Communist.”
Trump again warned that federal funding could be withheld from New York City if Mamdani wins Tuesday’s election.
“And it’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York. Because if you have a Communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” he said.
Trump previously suggested he would send troops to New York City if Mamdani wins and asserted that a victory for the Democratic socialist would be “a fluke.”
