New York Daily News

Team Trump’ ‘bawl’ over Stahl

- BY DAVE GOLDINER

President Trump wants you to know he didn’t “walk out” on Lesley Stahl, after all.

Hours after the president abruptly ended an interview with the legendary “60 Minutes” journalist, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows insisted Wednesday that his boss actually finished the sit-down as scheduled.

“He didn’t walk out ... he spent over 45 minutes with Lesley Stahl,” Meadows told Fox News. “She came across more like an opinion journalist than a real reporter.”

Meadows also repeated Trump’s threat to post the interview before its scheduled airing on Sunday night. It’s not clear what political purpose that would accomplish, since it would presumably give an even broader reach to the disputed interview.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany later claimed that Trump “continuall­y factchecke­d” Stahl, whom she called “unprepared.”

Trump tweeted photos of the interview along with McEnany handing Stahl (inset) a heavy bundle of materials, which he claimed included “some of the many things we’ve done for Healthcare.”

The president reportedly refused to walk and chat with Stahl and Vice President Mike Pence around the White House as planned for the marquee interview.

He further claimed a White House tape of the entire interview would let “everybody get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about.”

The interviews with Trump and Pence were part of a preelectio­n package on the news-magazine show on CBS.

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