“He is the PRESIDENT”: 60 Minutes' Norah O’Donnell's “Mr Trump” reference triggers backlash

Donald Trump’s recent appearance on 60 Minutes on November 2, 2025, is creating headlines. The host, Norah O’Donnell, has faced heavy criticism on social media after addressing the President of the United States as "Mr. Trump."

Multiple videos from the latest episode are being shared on different platforms. A similar incident happened around six years ago, following which CBS News addressed the reasons behind using “Mr.” for Trump.

The outlet stated at the time that it was a kind of respect for them in the office. Besides that, CBS even referred to their White House Correspondent, Mark Knoller, who shared a similar opinion, stating that it does not aim to disrespect the US President.

“It is CBS News practice to refer to the president and former presidents on second reference with the honorific ‘Mister.’ Everyone else in the political universe is referred to only by their last names,” Knoller stated.

Although CBS has not responded to the ongoing criticism, netizens shared their reactions on X (formerly Twitter). One of them claimed that they dislike it when someone calls Donald Trump “Mr. Trump.”

“I hate when they call him, “Mr. Trump!” He is the PRESIDENT. 60 Minutes doesn’t deserve to interview him - let’s see how they spin this.”

The replies continued. One user wrote,

“Thats the last time I watch 60 minutes. That @NorahODonnell is such a disrespectful person. “Mr. Trump”….interrupting….crazy eyes…. Ugh."

Another person wrote that Norah was a “classless person” who intentionally refers to Donald Trump as Mr. Trump.

“60 Minutes is a disgraceful excuse of a show. She is such a classless person who purposely keeps calling him Mr. Trump. Does anyone even watch this crappy show anymore if President Trump isn’t on?” @MichelleMaxwell said.

A user even supported O’Donnell by saying that it is a polite way of referring to Donald Trump compared to what everyone else thinks about him.

“Calling him Mr. Trump is much politer than what millions of us would call him… even to his face,” @MoreSweetTreats commented on X.

One of the responses featured the user describing CBS as fake, addressing the way Norah spoke to Trump.

“Did you notice Nora O’Donnell repeatedly referred to President Trump as “Mr. Trump” tonight on 60 Minutes. CBS is FAKE NEWS!!” @LilleythWrites stated.

Donald Trump addressed multiple topics while speaking on 60 Minutes

The new episode of the popular show has attracted criticism for addressing the US President as "Mr. Trump." However, it is additionally trending for Donald’s responses to certain matters.

When asked by Norah O'Donnell about how he handled the “government shutdowns,” Trump said that he wouldn’t take any action influenced by the Democrats. According to the New York Post, he claimed that something is not right with the Democrats, adding that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is responsible for the shutdowns. Trump continued:

“He’s gonna be defeated in the next election by a vast number of people. And he has nothing to lose. He’s become a kamikaze pilot.”

Donald Trump also shared his opinion about the US nuclear weapons test, saying that although the country has not done it yet, he does not want America to remain the only country “that doesn’t test.” He even stated that the nuclear weapons of the US can be ranked as the best compared to those of other countries.

Trump even addressed Zohran Mamdani while speaking about the upcoming mayoral election in New York City, stating that federal funds would be discontinued if Mamdani were to emerge as the winner. He said,

“It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York. Because if you have a Communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there.”

Meanwhile, Trump or O’Donnell has not responded to the ongoing criticism emerging from the former’s interview on 60 Minutes.