Trump slams Piers Morgan for deceptively edited video of interview

Following the release of a promo for Piers Morgan’s upcoming interview with former President Donald Trump that appears to show him storming out, Trump released a statement slamming Morgan for "deceptively" editing the clip.

The 30-second clip posted by Morgan to Twitter appears to show Trump storming off set, saying "turn the cameras off" after what is suggested to be heated discussion over the results of the 2020 election.

In a statement released by Trump on Wednesday, he slammed the promo and Morgan for what he said are deceptive edits.

"Piers Morgan, like the rest of the Fake News Media, attempted to unlawfully and deceptively edit his long and tedious interview with me," said Trump. "He wanted to make it look like I walked out on the interview when my time limit of 20 minutes went over by an hour. "

"The good news is that the interview was taped by us as a means of keeping him honest," he said. "The interview was actually very strong on the 2020 Election Fraud, with me calling him 'a fool’ if he truly believed those results."

Trump noted that "the evidence is massive and irrefutable (check out Truth the Vote and the Dinesh D’Souza documentary, which will all be coming out soon)."

"For those who want to make Piers look bad, compare his video promo and how it was doctored to the real thing. Hopefully they will now be doing some big changes to their final product," said Trump.

"It just shows, however, what I have to deal with in the Fake News Media. He went out of his way to deceptively edit an interview and got caught. That is a big story, isn’t it?" He concluded.

Audio obtained by NBC News from Trump communications director Taylor Budowich refutes the promo’s framing. The two men appear to laugh and thank each other at the end of the interview.

"That was a great interview," Morgan says in the audio at the conclusion of the interview.

Trump added, "Yeah."

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it," Morgan said.

It was after this, after the 20 minute interview stretched to over an hour, that Trump said "turn the camera off." This was well after Trump had risen from his chair, Budowich said.

As for the "very deceptive" comment made in the trailer, this came after Budowich called out Morgan for dragging the interview well past the expected 20 minute mark, with Morgan repeatedly saying just one more question.

"Is that the last question? You’ve said 'the last question' four times now," Budowich told Morgan. "So I feel like you’re lying at this point."

"I'm not lying," Morgan said.

Trump then said, "Very deceptive."

The interview will premier on April 25, as part of Morgan’s new show: "Piers Morgan Uncensored." The show will appear across the globe, including on Fox Nation, Talk TV in the UK, and Sky News Australia.

In a New York Post op-ed penned by Morgan though, he writes about the events leading up to the interview, where both Morgan and Trump were presented with a packet of quotes Morgan had previously said against Trump, who he said he considers a friend.

"There were several dozen comments from me, taken from columns I’d written and interviews I’d given, in which I was savagely critical of Trump’s conduct in the last year of his presidency, from his woeful handling of the coronavirus pandemic to his refusal to accept defeat in the 2020 election, and the appalling January 6 riot at the Capitol that followed," Morgan wrote about the document given to them both.

The two, according to Morgan, went back and forth, with Morgan being ridiculed by Trump is his Mar-a-Lago office.

"I’ve always been critical of you when I’ve felt you deserved it," Morgan eventually said after Trump read out a number of his previous comments, "but as you know, I’ve also written and said many supportive things about you too. This is a one-sided hatchet job designed to stop you doing our interview."

"It’s definitely a hatchet job," Trump retorted, "ON ME!"

After reading a January 7 comment from Morgan saying that Trump should be barred from future presidency following the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol, Trump reportedly said "I thought we were friends? This is so disloyal! After all I’ve done for you? Why would you say all this about me?"

"I thought what you did was wrong," Morgan responded.

Morgan thought that the interview may be axed, and eventually tried to change the tone by talking about Trump’s recent golf hole-in-one, which appeared to salvage the situation.

"OK, I guess I’ll still do the interview. I don’t know why, honestly, but I’ll see you down there," Trump eventually responded.

Morgan said that the first hour of their 75 minute interview went over well, talking about "everything from Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and nuclear weapons, to the royals, transgender athletes, Twitter and Joe Biden."

"But things took a dramatic downward turn when I finally brought up his refusal to accept defeat in 2020 and the appalling scenes on January 6," Morgan wrote.

Morgan said that he believed Trump lost the election, and that Trump has yet to prove and evidence of widespread election fraud, to which trump said "Then you’re a fool! And you haven’t studied!"

Following the tense back and forth regarding the topic, Trump reportedly attempted to end the interview, with Morgan bringing him back in with the golf question once again.

It was after briefly answering the question that Morgan said Trump "barked" "turn the cameras off!"

Trump also reportedly said "so dishonest …" as he was walking out the door.

"Apparently, he was later heard denouncing me as a 'scumbag' and saying he wished he’d never done the interview," Morgan wrote.