An interview with Donald Trump by TV therapist Dr. Phil has sparked controversy after social media accounts connected to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign suggested that the interview had been heavily edited to cover up the former president’s “gaffes and confusion.”
The interview, which was published on Thursday evening, has been criticized for being overly fawning towards Mr. Trump, with Dr. Phil accused of pandering to the former president. The Biden-Harris HQ social media account posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing what appeared to be abrupt cuts in Mr. Trump’s responses to certain questions.
The edits seem to have been made during a discussion about claims that the Chinese government has bought land near US military facilities. This is not the first time such edits have been alleged in interviews with Mr. Trump, with journalist Aaron Rupar claiming that a recent Fox interview with the former president was also heavily edited.
The hour-long interview took place at Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where Dr. Phil made controversial statements, including expressing hope that Joe Biden would intervene in Mr. Trump’s legal cases and claiming, without evidence, that 13 million migrants had been let into the US. Social media users reacted harshly to the interview, accusing Dr. Phil of “pathetic” fawning over Mr. Trump.