Trump Criticizes Norah O'Donnell as 'Terrible' Journalist After Contentious '60 Minutes' Interview

Former President Donald Trump sharply criticized CBS News correspondent Norah O'Donnell, dismissing her as a 'terrible' journalist who could be replaced by 'any woman off the streets.' His remarks came during a Tuesday interview with Salem News Channel, following their contentious sit-down on 60 Minutes.

Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with O'Donnell's professional approach, stating that her performance held 'nothing special.'

"She’s terrible. I mean, she’s interviewed me before. She’s a regular person that gets paid a lot of money," Trump said. "She’s no different — I could get any woman off the street, practically, and they would do just as good a job as her. There’s nothing special."

When pressed on whether he ever considered walking out of an interview with O'Donnell, Trump dismissed the idea, arguing it would only amplify the situation.

"No, because then you make it a bigger story, actually," he said.

Trump escalated his criticism after O'Donnell read a portion of the White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) shooter’s manifesto during their interview. The shooter had written that he was 'no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.' O'Donnell asked for Trump’s reaction, prompting a fierce response.

"I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you’re horrible people," Trump said. "Horrible people. Yeah, he did write that. I’m not a rapist. I didn’t rape anybody. I’m not a pedophile … You read that crap from some sick person? I got associated with all — stuff that has nothing to do with me. I was totally exonerated."

Trump then shifted focus to O'Donnell’s journalistic integrity, accusing her of being a 'disgrace' for including the shooter’s remarks in the interview.

"You shouldn’t be reading that on 60 Minutes," he concluded. "You’re a disgrace."

The former president also briefly referenced disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, despite no direct connection to the interview’s topic, asserting that only Democrats had meaningful ties to Epstein—a claim unsupported by the interview context.