CBS is planning a presentation of the presidential candidates on “60 Minutes.” Will Trump and Harris also be featured?

NEW YORK (AP) — With less than a month to go until the broadcast of “60 Minutes'” quadrennial presidential candidate interview special, the show is hoping for the best, even after its 2020 session with former President Donald Trump went off the rails.

With no further debates currently scheduled between Trump and his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, after Tuesday's event in Philadelphia, a “60 Minutes” interview would be one of the few remaining opportunities for voters to evaluate the two candidates back to back.

The Sunday news magazine plans to do so on Monday, October 7, as CBS will broadcast the American Music Awards the night before.

Neither candidate has yet confirmed they will appear, but their campaign teams have spoken to CBS, said Bill Owens, executive producer of “60 Minutes.” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said “stay tuned” when asked about his candidate's plans. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

“I'm confident this will work,” Owens said. “It would not be a good sign for either campaign if they turned down the opportunity to be on '60 Minutes.'”

Vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance are also invited to attend, he said.

Four years ago, then-President Trump left the show early after a controversial interview with the show's Lesley Stahl, and his campaign later released an unedited recording of the session it had taped. Although campaign teams are allowed to tape the interviews, “I hope they don't do that again,” Owens said. “I hope we have a serious conversation.”

Correspondent Scott Pelley, not Stahl, was assigned to interview Trump this year. Owens said it was not a response to the events of four years ago.

During the interview, Stahl interrupted Trump, saying, “You know that's not true,” when he claimed he had run the “greatest economy in the history of the country.”

Trump later criticized Stahl's “constant interruptions and his anger.” When a voice-over warned the two five minutes before the interview was expected to end, Trump said, “I think we've had enough” and walked away.

Stahl later said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence insulted “60 Minutes” by essentially giving campaign speeches and not answering questions.

“60 Minutes” has hired Bill Whitaker to interview Harris. The old-fashioned “60 Minutes” style, in which interviews are pre-recorded and edited into a story by editors, is becoming less common in election campaigns. Candidates are more often seen in live interviews or appearances.

Another season of “60 Minutes” begins Sunday, with Pelley investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Continuing an experiment from last year, the news magazine will release six expanded 90-minute editions in the coming months.

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David Bauder writes about media for AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder.