I’ll admit it up front. When CBS News tabbed Ross Douthat as part of the new cast for 60 Minutes, I was skeptical.
Bari Weiss, CBS News’ editor-in-chief, is reshaping the broadcast, and Douthat’s hiring is part of that vision. Still, I couldn’t see the fit.
Douthat himself said he’s awkward on camera. That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for a television correspondent. Plus, at The New York Times, he worked more as an opinion writer than as a journalist. From where I sat, he could’ve filled the Andy Rooney role at the end of the broadcast. A traditional correspondent, though? I wasn’t buying it.
I was wrong, and his interview with President Donald Trump proves it.
The Disarming Question
Douthat didn’t ask the same questions Trump usually fields. Plenty of reasons explain why this sit-down differs from Trump’s other interviews. Even so, Douthat did something more interviewers need to add to their arsenal: the disarming question.
Trump has spent years refining how he handles a camera. Most interviewers walk into the same trap, and they leave with the same answers. Douthat sidestepped that trap entirely.
Trump always keeps his walls up, even on a “friendly” network. Yet Douthat pulled out a side of the president we rarely see. Introspective. Thoughtful. That didn’t happen by accident. It happened because of his approach.
Consider his questions about mortality. Douthat asked Trump what he believes happens when he dies and how he’d approach the afterlife. Those questions were illuminating. They forced Trump to speak off the cuff on a topic he almost certainly hadn’t prepared to address.
Think about how unusual that is. Presidents rarely discuss their own endings, and Trump rarely lingers on anything reflective. Instead of a rehearsed line, viewers heard a man working through a hard idea in real time. As a result, the segment felt human in a way political interviews seldom do.
The Playbook Works
I’ve advocated this approach to interviewing Trump for years. You have to throw him off his game, and then you have to keep him there. Douthat did exactly that.
Most interviews with Trump follow a predictable script. A reporter fires off questions about policy, polls and the news cycle, and Trump answers with well-worn lines. As a result, viewers get the same sound bites they’ve heard a hundred times. Meanwhile, the interviewer gets nothing new.
Douthat broke that cycle. Instead of chasing headlines, he went somewhere Trump didn’t expect. Consequently, the president dropped the routine and actually thought out loud. That’s rare television, and it’s what a great interview should deliver.
Here’s the real lesson. Tough questions matter, but unexpected questions matter more. When a subject can predict every angle, he can defend every angle. Take away the predictability, and the real person shows up.
Other interviewers should take note. Disarming questions don’t require softball treatment or hostility. They simply require preparation, creativity and the nerve to leave the standard script behind. Furthermore, they reward the audience with something genuinely fresh.
A Smart Bet by CBS
Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton made a fantastic move by bringing Douthat into the fold. Granted, the 60 Minutes overhaul has drawn plenty of skepticism, and I shared some of it. However, this interview shows the upside of taking a swing on someone outside the traditional correspondent mold.
Douthat’s opinion-writing background, which I once viewed as a liability, actually helped him here. He thinks about big questions for a living. Therefore, he knew where to push Trump beyond the usual talking points.
Critics will keep debating the new direction of the broadcast, and that’s fair. Still, one strong interview can change a narrative quickly. Douthat just delivered one — and he did it on the biggest stage the program offers.
That decision is already paying dividends. I’m happy to say so, and I’m just as happy to admit my earlier read missed the mark. I was wrong. Now I’ll keep watching to see what Douthat does next.
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