Joe Biden's staff contact 60 Minutes to correct interview error claiming he 'misspoke'

Joe Biden made a mistake during his interview with 60 Minutes.
Joe Biden made a mistake during his interview with 60 Minutes. Photo credit: Getty Images

The American 60 Minutes TV show has aired its two interviews with US President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. 

President Trump has already leaked his interview online, unhappy with reporter Lesley Stahl's questioning.

The footage shows Stahl, a veteran journalist who has interviewed Trump twice before, asking direct questions and refuting some of Trump's answers on topics including healthcare and the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Look at the bias, hatred and rudeness on behalf of 60 Minutes and CBS," Trump said in a post on his Twitter profile on Thursday morning, with a link to his Facebook page, where he posted the nearly 38 minute interview.

The White House had kept a single-frame copy of the interview, in which only Trump is visible but Stahl can be heard asking questions. It shows Trump repeatedly asking Stahl and her employer, CBS News, to ask tough questions of Democratic rival Biden ahead of the November 3 election.

In the end an awkward mistake was the most memorable moment to come out of Bidens' freshly premiered Interview on Monday. 

The mistake centred around his corporate minimum tax plan, Biden estimated his plan would raise over US$400 billion and be able to cover college costs.

"So for example, if we just made every corporation pay a minimum 15 percent tax - you got 91 paying no tax - that raises over US$400 billion," he told 60 minutes host Norah O'Donnell.

Biden said using this money he could ensure everyone who wanted to go to college could get there.

"I can send every qualified person to a four-year college in their state for US$150 billion," he said.

"I can make sure every single person who qualifies for community college can go, and we still have a lot of money left over."

60 Minutes fact-checked Biden's numbers using the nonpartisan Tax Policy Centre and found them to be incorrect 

After the interview, Biden's staff contacted 60 Minutes to let them know he "misspoke" and that the cost of free public college "could be twice as much as he said."

Reuters/Newshub