President Donald Trump recently sat down for his first interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” in five years, a comprehensive 90-minute session with senior correspondent Norah O’Donnell held on October 31 at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. The extensive conversation covered a wide array of topics, ranging from international politics and domestic economic issues to immigration policies and the federal government shutdown, along with comments on media acquisitions and personnel changes.

A significant portion of the interview touched upon Trump’s perspective on the media landscape, specifically his kind words regarding Skydance’s takeover of Paramount and the appointment of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. Trump used the opportunity to address a prior $16 million settlement received from CBS’s previous owner, Paramount Communications. This settlement stemmed from a lawsuit Trump filed over claims that “60 Minutes” had doctored then-candidate Kamala Harris’s responses in a way that damaged his campaign. Despite legal experts suggesting Trump’s claims would have been easily defeated in court, the former Paramount ownership, under pressure from Trump and FCC chairman Brendan Carr, opted for the settlement. Trump framed this as a victory against “fake news,” stating, “’60 Minutes’ was forced to pay me– a lot of money because they took her answer out that was so bad, it was election-changing, two nights before the election. And they put a new answer in. And they paid me a lot of money for that. You can’t have fake news.” He expressed optimism about the “new ownership” at CBS, calling it “the greatest thing that’s happened in a long time to a free and open and good press.”

O’Donnell also pressed Trump on the controversial topic of his family’s investments and marketing of Trump-branded cryptocurrencies. Trump, however, remained dismissive of concerns regarding potential conflicts of interest. His primary focus, he stated, was to “make crypto great for America,” asserting the United States’ need to be the global leader in cryptocurrency, similar to its position in AI. “I don’t wanna have somebody else have crypto and have China be number one in the world in crypto,” he declared, adding, “right now we’re number one by a long shot. I wanna keep it that way.”

Much of the discussion revolved around geopolitical hot spots and the challenges the U.S. faces in its dealings with nations such as Russia, China, Israel, and Venezuela. When the conversation shifted to domestic economic issues, Trump adopted his characteristic bravado. He celebrated the stock market, claiming it had hit an all-time high 48 times during his nine-month period, coinciding perfectly, he noted, with the timing of the interview. Trump attributed current economic successes to his administration, contrasting it with what he called a “dead country” a year prior, now transformed into the “hottest country anywhere in the world.” He also criticized his White House predecessors, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, for various problems, including the continuing high price of groceries.

On domestic policy and legal matters, O’Donnell questioned Trump about the Justice Department’s recent indictments of his political adversaries, including New York State Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI chief James Comey. Trump responded by stating he had been “very mild-mannered” despite having been “indicted many times” and having to “beat the rap.”

The interview also covered the brutal ICE raids conducted in major cities like Los Angeles and Chicago, which have drawn national attention and even concern from some of Trump’s supporters. Unbowed, Trump asserted that the raids “haven’t gone far enough” due to hindrances from “liberal judges” appointed by Biden and Obama. When directly asked if he approved of violent actions by heavily masked law enforcement officials in workplaces, schools, and courthouses, Trump affirmed his stance, stating, “Because you have to get the people out.”

Regarding the ongoing government shutdown, which was heading into its 33rd day at the time of the interview, Trump placed blame squarely on Democrats. He claimed Republicans were voting almost unanimously to end it, while Democrats were consistently voting against it, characterizing them as “crazed lunatics” who had “lost their way.”

Finally, the discussion touched upon the ceasefire in Gaza, which Trump had helped broker the previous month. He disputed O’Donnell’s suggestion that the situation was “fragile,” issuing a stern warning to Hamas terrorists: “Hamas could be taken out immediately if they don’t behave. They know that. If they don’t behave, they’re going to be taken out immediately.”