President Donald Trump criticized Democrats over the ongoing government shutdown, defended his decision to restart U.S. nuclear weapons testing, and backed his administration’s immigration enforcement actions during a wide-ranging “60 Minutes” interview on Sunday. This marked Trump’s first appearance on the program.
At the outset of the interview, anchor Norah O’Donnell pressed Trump about his role in the shutdown. “You have helped these government shutdowns in the past,” O’Donnell said, prompting an exchange in which both tried to speak over one another.
Trump replied, “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 placed the responsibility for the shutdown squarely on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), describing him as 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 said.
The partial government shutdown, now in its 33rd day, is the second-longest in U.S. history. It began after funding measures expired on October 1, with both chambers of Congress deadlocked over spending provisions.
Last week, Schumer proposed advancing a bill limited to food stamp funding in an effort to protect Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from being disrupted. Trump rejected that approach, arguing that Democrats were refusing to reopen the government in full.
According to congressional records, Senate Democrats have voted more than a dozen times since the start of October against measures that would end the shutdown.
When asked about his order to resume nuclear weapons testing, Trump defended the move as necessary for maintaining national security and military readiness. He claimed that the United States possesses nuclear capabilities “that could blow up the world 150 times.”
“Why do we need to test our nuclear weapons?” O’Donnell asked.
Trump responded, “We’re the only country that doesn’t test, and I don’t wanna be the only country that doesn’t test.” He pointed to Russia and China as examples of nations continuing to test their nuclear arsenals.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that his military successfully tested a nuclear-powered torpedo, and days earlier, he highlighted the development of what he called an “invincible” nuclear-powered cruise missile, referred to by experts as a “tiny flying Chernobyl.”
Trump said that if nuclear strength were ranked, the United States would lead the list, followed by Russia and then China.
The president also defended his administration’s ICE operations, stating that agents “haven’t gone far enough” in addressing illegal immigration. His comments came in response to O’Donnell’s question citing criticism of recent immigration enforcement actions.
The discussion later turned to New York City’s mayoral race, where Trump criticized Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani, labeling him a “Communist.”
Trump warned that if Mamdani were elected, it could impact how the federal government allocates funding to New York City.
“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 has previously suggested that he would consider deploying federal troops to New York City if Mamdani wins Tuesday’s election, calling a potential victory for the Democratic socialist “a fluke.”
CBS aired an edited version of the interview on Sunday night, while President Trump’s team later released the full, unedited version in its entirety.
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