Trump called Scott Pelley 'terrible' and part of a 'crooked gang' on podcast hours before CBS firing

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump sharply criticized veteran CBS News correspondent Scott Pelley in a podcast interview recorded on Tuesday, June 2, afternoon, hours before the outlet fired the longtime 60 Minutes journalist following a confrontation with network leadership.

The interview, taped for the 'Pod Force One' podcast and released on Wednesday morning, featured Trump attacking Pelley while the correspondent was simultaneously dismissed from '60 Minutes' after a clash with the program’s newly appointed executive producer, Nick Bilton. 

Trump says 'Scott Pelley's a stiff'

During the podcast interview, host Miranda Devine raised Pelley's past reporting, prompting Trump to launch into a broader criticism of the veteran correspondent. “I think Scott Pelley’s got his own problems. He’s terrible,” Trump said.

The president continued, “Look, Scott Pelley’s a stiff, and he’s afraid, and he’s part of this, you know, gang of crooked, stupid people that don’t care about our country. 

Trump also revisited Pelley's 2023 interview with former President Joe Biden, calling it “a joke” and accusing media organizations of protecting political opponents.

At the time the president made the remarks, Pelley was reportedly involved in an increasingly tense dispute with the outlet's executives over the direction of '60 Minutes' and recent management changes at the network.

Scott Pelley fired after confrontation with CBS leadership

Pelley's dismissal followed a contentious staff meeting during which he reportedly criticized the outlet's editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and executive producer Bilton.

According to multiple reports, Pelley accused Weiss of undermining the long-running news program, saying, “She’s murdering 60 Minutes.” He also reportedly challenged Bilton's qualifications during the meeting.

In a termination letter, Bilton accused Pelley of disrupting a staff meeting and creating a hostile environment. “Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt,” Bilton wrote.

Following his firing, the veteran correspondent released a statement criticizing management and alleging that the network's new leadership was abandoning the editorial standards that had defined '60 Minutes'.

“When stewardship of the program passed to my colleagues and me, our responsibility was to expand energetically into a new age of media technology while preserving the values our audience expects,” Pelley said. “Now, the new owner of our network is casting this legend aside, apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration. The waste is heartbreaking.”

Pelley further alleged that political and editorial pressures had increased under the network's new ownership structure and said recent staffing changes had altered the identity of '60 Minutes'.

CBS has not publicly responded to Pelley's allegations regarding editorial interference. The network has maintained that his dismissal stemmed from conduct during the staff meeting and disagreements over management direction.