Fox News edited Donald Trump’s sit-down chat with voters at a Bronx barbershop - days after Trump condemned 60 Minutes for doing the same with Vice President Kamala Harris’s interview.
On Monday, the network ran a roughly 15-minute edition of its barbershop interview series featuring the former president. Lawrence Jones, co-host of Fox and Friends, has been traveling around the country speaking with voters at barbershops.
At a Bronx barbershop, Trump sat with a group of locals and answered their questions about taxes, immigration, education, energy and more. The former president gave vague but on-topic answers making promises for a wealthier country with lower taxes for all, healthier food and less crime.
But raw footage from the event, posted on Instagram by an attendee, depicts Trump as he appears at rallies – giving long-winded, rambling answers that often veer off topic and are peppered with bits of misinformation.
A spokesperson for Fox News said, “Every one of Fox & Friends barbershop segments are pre-taped and edited. The Bronx edition ran for nearly an hour and was cut for time and clarity.”
In the raw footage, Trump exaggerated the number of immigrants in Springfield, Ohio and falsely claimed the Democratic Republic of the Congo is sending prisoners into the United States. He also baselessly said New York City Mayor Eric Adams was unfairly indicted by Democrats because he criticized migrants coming into New York.
All of that was omitted from the broadcast.
Answers were also cut to appear more concise. While answering a question about eliminating federal taxes, the Fox News segment excluded a long tangent Trump went on that was featured in the raw footage. The Independent has asked the Trump campaign for comment.
Pre-taped segments for broadcast are often edited and cut to fit in the allotted time slot when it airs.
But the recent development, first reported by CNN, is ironic given Trump has condemned 60 Minutes for editing its interview with Harris to similarly fit in a time slot.
In rallies, he’s told supporters CBS should have its license revoked for editing Harris’s interview – something he baselessly suggested was a crime.
CBS said in a statement that Trump’s accusation the network “deceitfully” edited the interview was “false”. They clarified that an excerpt of the interview was cut and given to Face the Nation but that the full version of the cut was in the broadcast.
“When we edit any interview, whether a politician, an athlete, or movie star, we strive to be clear, accurate and on point. The portion of her answer on 60 Minutes was more succinct, which allows time for other subjects in a wide ranging 21-minute-long segment,” CBS said.
