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Trump allies encourage Mar-a-Lago visits with foreign leaders months before election
Former President Donald Trump’s allies have been encouraging foreign countries to send diplomats and official emissaries to Mar-a-Lago to reconnect ahead of another potential Trump stint in the White House, sources with direct knowledge of the meetings confirmed to CBS News.
Trump advisers and allies believe he’ll be able to capitalize on the decline in Americans’ approval of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy decisions. An April CBS News poll found that only 33% of Americans approve of Mr. Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, down from 44% in October.
It is rare for foreign ambassadors and ministers to meet with the presumptive GOP presidential nominee half a year before the presidential election and suggests that they’re laying the groundwork for another Trump administration.
“The biggest handle Biden had on Trump was that this guy is unpredictable, especially on the world stage,” said Terry Sullivan, who ran Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign. “When you take your opponent’s strength and your personal weakness and turn them on their head, that’s a big move.”
The 2012 Republican presidential nominee, Sen. Mitt Romney, implemented a similar strategy of meeting foreign leaders shortly before he won the GOP presidential nomination in 2012. On a trip to London for a fundraiser that year, Romney met with several British leaders. At the time, CBS News chief political analyst John Dickerson told “CBS This Morning” that Romney’s campaign had calibrated his talking points about the meetings to project a presidential aura.
“It’s something every campaign does to some degree if they can get away with it and show they have gravitas and can handle major foreign policy situations,” said Sullivan, who also worked on Romney’s earlier presidential bid in 2008 and is now a CBS News contributor.
Foreign leaders have made stops at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida club, too. The former president recently hosted British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, whose spokesperson said it was “standard practice for ministers to meet with opposition candidates as part of their routine international engagement.” The two spoke about the war in Ukraine, NATO spending and upcoming elections, according to the Trump campaign.
But unlike recent presidential nominees, Trump has also hosted controversial foreign leaders. The willingness by some Trump advisers to contact these foreign governments reflects the approach another Trump administration could take on foreign policy.
Last month, the former president hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the closest European Union ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, at Mar-a-Lago. The two also discussed the war in Ukraine, Orban later told state media.
Mr. Biden reacted swiftly, criticizing the rendezvous on the day it took place.
“You know who he’s meeting with today down at Mar-a-Lago? Orbán of Hungary, who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works. He’s looking for dictatorship,” Mr. Biden said at a rally near Philadelphia. “That’s who he’s meeting with.”
Trump also spoke recently with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman, The New York Times reported, who was found by U.S. intelligence to have signed off on killing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” a longtime U.S. resident and Washington Post journalist.
The former president has also spoken with government officials from other Western countries, including Finland last year, a source familiar with the conversations told CBS News.
The outreach by Trump’s allies to foreign dignitaries was first reported by Politico.
In a CBS News national poll in March, Trump was leading Mr. Biden, as voters remembered the economy under Trump as being better than it is under the president. The Biden campaign and Democratic National Committee are trying to close the gap by exploiting their considerable financial advantage over the Trump campaign and Republican Party, placing multimillion-dollar ad buys in key battleground states.
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
CBS News
Kamala Harris discusses U.S. relationship with Israel
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