Fox News edited a segment in which Donald Trump talked to voters at a Bronx barbershop to omit his false claims and rambling responses—even as the former president has in recent weeks repeatedly slammed CBS for an edited answer in Kamala Harris’ 60 Minutes interview.
As part of Fox host Lawrence Jones’ barbershop interview series, Trump chatted with a room full of workers and customers—some of them wearing “Make Barbers Great Again” T-shirts—about immigration, the economy, and taxes.
The clip that aired on Fox, however, had been touched up to make the GOP nominee sound more coherent, CNN reported, contrasting that version with an uncut video recorded and shared on Instagram by one of the barbers.
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The network cut, for instance, Trump’s false claim about the number of Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and also his exaggerated account of crime in Aurora, Colorado—which have been two frequent Trump talking points in the run-up to the Nov. 5 election.
Fox also edited a meandering response to one audience member’s question to make it seem like a clean back and forth.
In the version that aired on Fox, Trump is asked about the possibility of eliminating federal taxes, and he immediately responds, “There is a way.” In reality, though, this line came seven minutes after the question was asked.
The full clip shows digressions that touch on the Keystone Pipeline, estate taxes, Russia, Ronald Reagan, and transgender athletes—all while the man who asked the question repeatedly prods Trump to answer it head-on—before the line finally arrives.
Over the past few weeks, Trump has raged against CBS for trimming down Harris’ response to a question about Israel during her 60 Minutes interview to make it more focused and concise. Trump declared it “THE BIGGEST SCANDAL IN BROADCAST HISTORY,” called for the network’s broadcast license to be revoked, and made vague threats of legal action.
60 Minutes has denied that the clip was edited for political purposes and re-extended an invitation for Trump to be interviewed on their program, as CBS has said that the former president had previously ducked a scheduled appearance on the show.
In addition to editing out Trump’s digressions in the barbershop, Fox also cut a dig Trump made against the Wall Street Journal, the newspaper also owned by media magnate Rupert Murdoch.
Trump told the audience not to listen to ”Wall Street jerks or Wall Street Journal, cause they don’t get it.”
In a statement to CNN, a Fox News spokesperson that its barbershop interview series is always edited for time and clarity.
