President Trump Says 'Mostly My Family Has Been Suffering' Over Impeachment

In a pre-Super Bowl interview on Sunday, President Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity that "mostly my family has been suffering" from the impeachment process. In a friendly, eight-minute interview, Mr. Trump also touched on the Democratic candidates for president and the coronavirus.

The Senate will vote on their final verdict in Mr. Trump's impeachment trial on Wednesday. Given that only two Republicans crossed the aisle to vote for witnesses, it's all but assured Mr. Trump will be acquitted. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that regardless of the outcome of the trial, Mr. Trump "will be impeached forever." Mr. Trump told Hannity impeachment is a "very, very serious thing.

"It should never happen to another president," Mr. Trump said. 

• How to watch the Super Bowl

Mr. Trump lobbed his usual response to impeachment, calling it a "witch hunt" and a "hoax." 

Mr. Trump also said the U.S. has offered China help with the coronavirus, and praised Chinese President Xi Jinping. But he also made comments similar to those he made during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, saying "we can't have thousands of people coming in who may have this problem, the coronavirus."

In a "lightning round," Mr. Trump sounded off on a few of his Democratic opponents. He repeated some of his usual insults — calling former Vice President Joe Biden "Sleepy Joe" and using a racial slur to describe Senator Elizabeth Warren — and said when he hears Senator Bernie Sanders' name, he thinks "communism." Sanders is a democratic socialist.

"Didn't he get married in Moscow?" Mr. Trump asked. When Hannity said Sanders honeymooned in Moscow, Mr. Trump answered "well, whatever."

The interview aired Sunday, one day before the Iowa caucuses, the critical first election contest for Democrats in 2020. Mr. Trump has two Republican challengers, but neither have made any significant dent in polling. The Democrats, meanwhile, are locked in a tight race.

First published on February 2, 2020 / 4:35 PM

© 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.