Stahl: Trump is "more subdued, more serious"

Stahl: Trump is "more subdued, more serious"

Earlier this year, when 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl interviewed then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, he sat forward in his chair, she says, leaning toward her assertively.

This week, Stahl interviewed Mr. Trump again, but this time he was president-elect. And, in an interview with Ann Silvio of 60 Minutes Overtime, Stahl says she noticed a shift in more than his posture.

“I saw quite a change,” Stahl says. “He was much more subdued, much more serious.”

“I really did have the feeling that the sense of gravity, and how big the problems are — it was sinking in, washing over him,” she says. “I think he wanted the public to know that he understood that he had to shift gears and pay attention to the responsibilities now.”

Lesley Stahl interviewed President-elect Donald Trump at his Trump Tower residence Chris Albert

In a wide-ranging interview, Trump told Stahl about his experience on election night and how he plans to conduct himself as president. When asked about reports that his supporters had harassed minorities in his name, Mr. Trump turned to the camera, addressing the public directly, and said, “Stop it.”

Mr. Trump also told 60 Minutes that the magnitude and importance of his new job supersedes his business interests. “I don’t care about it anymore,” he says of the Trump business enterprise.

He tells Stahl that his adult children will take it over; however, he stops short of saying he will divest himself from his company.

President-elect Trump's business plans

“The laws are very soft on this whole matter,” Trump tells Stahl. “I don’t know if you know this — I don’t have to do anything.”

Trump already seems to be applying to his deal-making experience to his policy positions, even those that seemed unchangeable before the election.

“I do think there’s movement on his positions,” Stahl says. “He pulled back on Obamacare a little bit. He pulled back on deportations a little bit. He certainly pulled back on a special prosecutor on Hillary Clinton.”

60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl and President-elect Donald Trump Chris Albert

During Friday’s interview, Stahl cites some of President-elect Trump’s more controversial statements from the campaign, and she asks him if he has any regrets.  

“I can’t regret,” Mr. Trump says. “I wish it were softer, I wish it were nicer, I wish maybe even it was more on policy.”

He also says: “I think it was probably—most of it was necessary to win.”

The video above was produced by Ann Silvio, Lisa Orlando, and Sarah Shafer Prediger. It was edited by Lisa Orlando and Sarah Shafer Prediger.

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