The long-awaited 60 Minutes interview of President-elect Donald Trump finally aired on CBS Sunday evening and featured long-time correspondent Lesley Stahl obsessing over the future of abortion under Trump by fretting about Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Additionally, she attempted to press Trump on whether he’s concerned about all the people (translation: leftists) who are afraid about what will happen to them under his administration.
Just shy of 20 minutes into the sit-down, Stahl broached the subject of Supreme Court appointments and she naturally went right to abortion like a tried and true liberal.
“During the campaign, you said that you would appoint justices who were against abortion rights. Will you appoint — are you looking to appoint a justice who wants to overturn Roe v. Wade,” Stahl wondered.
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Trump responded that since he has become pro-life, the jurists he selects “will be pro-life” and it didn’t sit well as Stahl pushed back about if that’d mean they would be “overturning the law.”
The President-elect also emphasized that his judicial picks would be pro-Second Amendment, but Stahl wasn’t interested in tussling with him on gun control and returned to what women would do to still get abortions if Roe v. Wade was overturned:
STAHL: Yeah, but then some women won't be able to get an abortion?
TRUMP: No, it'll go back to the states.
STAHL: By state. No some —
TRUMP: Yeah. Yeah, well, they'll perhaps have to go, they'll have to go to another state.
STAHL: And that's okay?
TRUMP: Well, we'll see what happens. It's got a long way to go, just so you understand. That has a long, long way to go.
Later while speaking with wife Melania and his four oldest children, Stahl brought up the fears held by minorities about their futures with Trump now leading the country: “I want to ask you all about something that's going on right now around the country. A lot of people are afraid. They're really afraid. African Americans think there's a target on their back. Muslims are terrified.”
The President-elect responded that “it’s horrible if it’s happening” but acknowledged that “I think it's built up by the press because, frankly, they'll take every single little incident that they can find in this country, which could've been there before if I weren't even around doing this, and they'll make into an event because that's the way the press is.”
Speaking of minorities, Stahl wanted to know if “the LBGTQ group” had anything to fear and worry about losing the ability to get married but Trump quickly put that to rest by pointing out to her that it was settled by the Supreme Court.
The relevant portions of the transcript from CBS’s 60 Minutes on November 13 can be found below.
CBS’s 60 Minutes
November 13, 2016
7:42 p.m. Eastern
LESLEY STAHL: One of the things you're going to obviously get an opportunity to do, is name someone to the Supreme Court and I assume you'll do that quickly?
DONALD TRUMP: Yes. Very important.
STAHL: During the campaign, you said that you would appoint justices who were against abortion rights. Will you appoint — are you looking to appoint a justice who wants to overturn Roe v. Wade?
TRUMP: So look, here's what's going to happen — I'm going to — I'm pro-life. The judges will be pro-life. They'll be very —
STAHL: But what about overturning this law?
TRUMP: Well, there are a couple of things. They'll be pro-life, they'll be, in terms of the whole gun situation, we know the Second Amendment and everybody's talking about the Second Amendment and they're trying to dice it up and change it, they're going to be very pro-Second Amendment, but having to do with abortion, if it ever were overturned, it would go back to the states. So it would go back to the states and —
STAHL: Yeah, but then some women won't be able to get an abortion?
TRUMP: No, it'll go back to the states.
STAHL: By state. No some —
TRUMP: Yeah. Yeah, well, they'll perhaps have to go, they'll have to go to another state.
STAHL: And that's okay?
TRUMP: Well, we'll see what happens. It's got a long way to go, just so you understand. That has a long, long way to go.
(....)
8:10 p.m. Eastern
STAHL: I want to ask you all about something that's going on right now around the country. A lot of people are afraid. They're really afraid. African Americans think there's a target on their back. Muslims are terrified.
TRUMP: I think it's horrible if that's happening. I think it's built up by the press because, frankly, they'll take every single little incident that they can find in this country, which could've been there before if I weren't even around doing this, and they'll make into an event because that's the way the press is.
STAHL: Do any of you want to say anything about this fear that's out there?
DONALD TRUMP JR.: I — I think the fears, you know, while they may be there, some fabricated, some not, are totally unfounded.
STAHL: One of the groups that's expressing fear are the LBGTQ group. You —
TRUMP: And yet I mentioned them at the Republican National Convention and —
STAHL: You did.
TRUMP: — everybody said, "That was so great." I have been — you know, I've been — a supporter.
STAHL: Well, I guess the issue for them is marriage equality. Do you support marriage equality?
TRUMP: It — it's irrelevant because it was already settled. It's law. It was settled in the Supreme Court. I mean, it's done.
STAHL: So even if you appoint a judge that —
TRUMP: It's done. It — you have — these cases have gone to the Supreme Court. They've been settled and I'm — I'm fine with that.
