Donald Trump reportedly calls off NBC interview in Philadelphia
It would be the third interview with a mainstream news outlet Trump has canceled in recent weeks, including CNBC and "60 Minutes" on CBS.
Former President Donald Trump appears to be backing out of yet another major news interview, this time with NBC News.
NBC thought it secured an interview with Trump in Philadelphia focused on the economy and other issues, but the former president called it off suddenly Wednesday night, CNN’s Brian Stelter reported in his Reliable Sources newsletter, citing three unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter.
NBC News senior business correspondent Christine Romans, a former CNN anchor, had been lined up to conduct the interview on Monday. CNN reported the interview could still happen and that discussions are ongoing.
Neither NBC nor the Trump campaign responded to a request for comment.
If Trump reneges, it will be the third major interview with a traditional news outlet he has walked away from in recent days. Trump was set to appear on CBS’s 60 Minutes last weekend, but backed out, leaving the show to focus its episode on Vice President Kamala Harris. Then Trump canceled an interview on CNBC, according to Squawk Box anchor Joe Kernen.
“Well, Trump canceled, and he was going to come on,” Kernen said on Tuesday morning’s show.
The news comes after Harris made the surprising decision to sit down with Fox News, a conservative news outlet where nearly all the on-air personalities are outspoken supporters of Trump.
Predictably, Wednesday’s interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier was combative, including an exchange in which Harris called him out for editing footage of Trump suggesting he could use the military to go after his critics, including Reps. Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi, both California Democrats.
“Bret, I’m sorry, and with all due respect, that clip was not what he has been saying about the enemy within that he has repeated when he’s speaking about the American people,” Harris said.
Trump also appeared Wednesday on Fox News, which aired a town hall he had recorded Tuesday with anchor Harris Faulkner in Georgia. That audience was largely Republicans and Trump supporters, cheering on the former president after every response and praising him ahead of their questions.
One questioner was the president of the Fulton Country Republican Women group. Another asked a question while wearing a large Trump pin, while one audience member could be seen wearing a hat that read “RNC DELEGATE.”
CNN reported Fox News edited one question asked by an attendee named Alicia who revealed she had already cast her 2024 vote for Trump.
“I proudly cast my vote for you today. I hope they count it,” she asked, according to a recording of the exchange captured by a CNN reporter in attendance at the event. That part never made it to the telecast.
Fox News did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump appeared in another town hall event with undecided Latino voters that aired Wednesday night on Univision, where he was confronted by a former supporter.
Ramiro Gonzalez, a Florida Republican, asked Trump why he should vote for him again after what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, when the former president’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Gonzalez also noted many former Trump administration officials — including former Vice President Mike Pence — don’t support Trump’s reelection efforts.
In a rambling response, Trump said he “totally disagreed” with Pence’s decision to certify the election and called the insurrection at the Capitol “a day of love.” At least seven people died in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, according to a bipartisan Senate report, and at least 1,200 people have been charged in connection with the attempt to overturn the election, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which is prosecuting the cases.
Trump to return to Philly area Sunday
Trump will be back in the Philly area on Sunday to work at an area McDonald’s restaurant, The Inquirer has reported. The exact location and timing remain unclear, as Trump is also expected to attend an NFL game between the Steelers and New York Jets in Pittsburgh on Sunday that kicks off at 8:20 p.m., sources told CBS News station KDKA.
The former president is also holding a rally Saturday in Latrobe, in Western Pennsylvania. He’s slated to speak around 6 p.m. at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. The rally will follow a bizarre appearance in Oaks on Monday, where Trump abandoned a town hall format in favor of listening to music onstage for about half an hour.
Harris held an event Wednesday in Bucks County with more than 100 Republicans supporting her campaign, including two Malvern farmers who formerly voted for Trump.
“Never in a million years did either of us think we’d be standing here voting for a Democrat. But we’ve had enough,” Kristina Lange said.
» READ MORE: Your candidate guide to the November election, from president to Pa. House and Senate races