President Donald Trump grilled in 60 Minutes interview: "I'm not a baby"
<p>US President Donald Trump has faced some tough questioning in an interview with the US’s <em>60 Minutes</em> program, which airs on the CBS network. Journalist Lesley Stahl grilled the President on everything from his close ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Russian interference with the 2016 election, and the cutthroat nature of Capitol Hill.</p>
<p>In a sign of his tumultuous presidency, that has been filled with scandal and the resignation of several cabinet members and advisers, the commander-in-chief said he mistrusted some of his staff, and called Washington DC “a vicious, vicious place,” reports <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/donald-trump-grilled-in-extensive-60-minutes-interview/news-story/445a1688bddf5722c68d738be2940df7" target="_blank">news.com.au</a></em>. “I don’t trust everybody in the White House, I’ll be honest with you,” said Mr Trump.</p>
<p>“I’m not a baby. It’s a tough business. This is a vicious place. Washington DC is a vicious, vicious place. The attacks, the badmouthing, the speaking behind your back.</p>
<p>“I have some people that I’m not thrilled with. And I have other people that I’m beyond thrilled with.”</p>
<p>When questioning turned to President Trump’s close relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, he was unrepentant about his recent comment that the pair “fell in love”.</p>
<p>“And then we fell in love, OK? No, really. He wrote me beautiful letters. And they’re great letters. We fell in love,” he said at a recent political rally.</p>
<p>Stahl took Mr Trump to task on the statement, reminding him of the Supreme Leader of North Korea’s shocking and cruel acts.</p>
<p>“I want to read you his resume,” said the journalist. “He presides over a cruel kingdom of repression. Gulags, starvation, reports that he had his half-brother assassinated, slave labour, executions — this is a guy you love?”</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr">Lesley Stahl on Kim Jong Un: "He presides over a cruel kingdom of repression, gulags, starvation…slave labor, public executions. This is a guy you love?"<br />President Trump: "I know all these things… I get along with him, okay? … Let it be whatever it is to get the job done.” <a href="https://t.co/J6Gbuns2t6">pic.twitter.com/J6Gbuns2t6</a></p>
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) <a href="https://twitter.com/60Minutes/status/1051619117789302784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<p>“I know all these things. I mean, I’m not a baby. I know these things,” said the President. He put his recent remarks down to “a figure of speech”.</p>
<p>“Look. Look. I like, I get along with him, OK?” he said.</p>
<p>It seems the pair have gotten over the acrimony which involved threats of nuclear attacks and name calling.</p>
<p>“I believe he likes me. I like him,” said Mr Trump. “We have a good relationship.”</p>
<p>“I do trust him. I trust him. That doesn’t mean I can’t be proven wrong.”</p>
<p>On Russian interference in the 2016 election, the President admitted that “they meddled. But I think China meddled too,” he said. “I think, frankly, China is a bigger problem.”</p>
<p>He said that he had taken a “tough” stance with Russian President [check] Vladimir Putin over the matter, despite claims he’d avoided the accusations of political tampering.</p>
<p>“I think I’m very tough with him (Putin) personally. I had a meeting with him. The two of us. It was a very tough meeting and it was a very good meeting.”</p>
<p>Of the investigation into Russian interference in the election and possible collusion with US officials, Mr Trump said it was “very unfair".</p>
<p>“There was no collusion of any kind,” he said. “There is no collusion.”</p>
<p>In a rare moment of humility, President Trump admitted that he had made some missteps during his tenure so far, saying, “Everybody makes mistakes.”</p>
<p>He reiterated his scathing attack on Washington DC and its hard-bitten politicians as another learning curve since winning the top job, comparing the environment to the tough world of Manhattan real estate, a world he knows all too well.</p>
<p>“I always used to say the toughest people are Manhattan real estate guys. Now I say they’re babies,” said Mr Trump.</p>
<p>“This is the most deceptive, vicious world. It is vicious. It’s full of lies, deceit and deception.”</p>
<p>And again President Trump lashed out at media outlets that have questioned and criticised his presidency, calling them “dishonest".</p>
<p>“I never knew how dishonest the media was. I really mean it. I’m not saying that as a sound bite,” he said.</p>
<p>His antagonistic relationship with the media was apparent when he <span>arrogantly dismissed Stahl’s probing on the issue.</span></p>
<p>“Lesley, it’s OK. I’m president and you’re not.”</p>
<p>Did you learn anything new about the US President from his latest interview? Let us know in the comments below.</p>
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