In his first one-on-one interview since the midterms, President Donald Trump promised to be more civil toward his political opponents—but couldn’t resist trotting out his favorite insult for Democrats.
Trump sat down with 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat for an interview at the White House Friday and was asked if he could work with Democrats without insulting them.
Trump speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House Friday, following his sit-down with ’60 Minutes.’ / Umit Bektas / REUTERS
“Do you think you could work with the Democrats without insulting them, consistently?” Douthat asked.
“Yeah, I do. I could… I also called many of them ‘Dumocrats,'” Trump replied, unnecessarily reminding the journalist—and viewers—of the insult.
Douthat pressed him: “You did that just the other day. If it took six months of not insulting the Democrats to get a deal done, do you think you could do it?”
Trump insisted he could. “Very easily.”
The clip also addressed Trump calling Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico “Talafreako” repeatedly during the campaign, which Trump acknowledged—but did not apologize for.
CBS released the excerpt as a teaser ahead of Sunday night’s broadcast.
The sit-down is a coup for the beleaguered 60 Minutes, which has been rocked by dismal ratings since its return in October.
After CBS was acquired by Trump-friendly nepo baby David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance in 2025, the network has been pushed in a MAGA-friendly direction.
In October 2025, Ellison appointed Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News, despite her having no broadcast news experience.
In spring 2026, Weiss made sweeping changes at 60 Minutes, the network’s flagship current affairs program.
Bari Weiss talks to other attendees at United Talent Agency’s (UTA) White House Correspondents’ Dinner pre-party at Osteria Mozza in Georgetown. / The Washington Post / The Washington Post via Getty Im
She axed veteran correspondents and producers and installed a new executive producer, Nick Bilton, who, like Weiss, was a television greenhorn.
Respected veteran correspondent Scott Pelley was fired after a heated confrontation with Bilton.
Douthat, a conservative journalist, was hired in July from The New York Times and was tapped for the Trump interview over veteran correspondents including Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, Jon Wertheim, and Norah O’Donnell.
The revamped 60 Minutes lineup, including new executive producer Nick Bilton and correspondent Ross Douthat, posed for a cast photo ahead of the season premiere. / CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images
Stahl, 84, who received the inaugural Daily Beast Power 100 Award on Thursday, said during a speech at the awards luncheon that she considered leaving the program during Weiss’ spring purge. Ultimately, fearing the legendary program would be killed altogether—and hoping to protect her remaining colleagues’ jobs—she opted to stay.
Weiss accompanied Douthat to the White House.
The choice to sit down with a MAGA-friendly journalist is not surprising, given Trump’s naked hostility toward the media in the run-up to the midterms.
The president banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House amid mounting frustration over a series of polls and stories he disliked.
60 Minutes reporter Ross Douthat poses with Donald Trump in the Oval Office. / X
Branding them “fake news,” he argued that reporters should report good news about him.
Even though the ban was reversed by the courts on First Amendment grounds, Trump has continued to label media outlets and individual journalists as “fake” when he doesn’t like their reporting.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
