Piers Morgan has denied being more lenient than usual with US President Donald Trump in interviews.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society’s conference in Cambridge, Morgan said: “I would say, look at the last one we did in the Churchill War Rooms.
“I did 35 minutes with him, roughed him up on about four or five things, including the transgender ban in the military. I took him to task on that. Took him to task on guns again. Took him to task on other things.”
He added: “I compare it to any interview he gives to any of the American networks. I appreciate that he doesn’t do many outside of the family – Fox and so on – but he does do quite a few.
“I think [my interviews] are certainly as combative as any of those that I have ever seen.
“There is a limit to what you can do with a serving president with the secret service in the room. You go too hard and it is the last interview you ever do.”
Morgan met the President in 2008 when he appeared as a competitor on the celebrity version of The Apprentice in the US, which he went on to win.
Piers Morgan – In pictures
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Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on stage during the National Television Awards at The O2 Arena in 2017
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Piers Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper holds a copy of his newspaper for the young readers ‘First News’ in 2006
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Piers Morgan with Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell on Britain”s Got Talent in 2009
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Piers Morgan interviews President Donald Trump in 2018
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Piers Morgan in 1986
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Prince of Wales and Piers Morgan at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the Prince’s 50th birthday in 1998
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The Queen Elizabeth meets Rebekah Wade, Ben Preston, Piers Morgan and Martin Townsend during a reception for the media at Windsor Castle in 2002
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Piers Morgan, editor of The Mirror, at the High Court in London, where supermodel Naomi Campbell sued the newspaper for breach of confidence and/or unlawful invasion of privacy in2002
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Piers Morgan receives the Newspaper Editor of the Year award at GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2002
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Piers Morgan attends the Book Launch Party for his memoirs, entitled “The Insider” in 2005
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Fearne Cotton and Piers Morgan launch a search to find green teenagers across the UK to take part in NPower’s Climate Cops programme in Regents Park in 2008
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Don Trump Jr., Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, and Ivanka Trump pose at the “Celebrity Apprentice” finale at Rock Center Cafe in 2008
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Kim Kardashian and Piers Morgan celebrate Kim Kardashian’s appearance on “The Apprentice” at Provacateur in 2010
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Piers Morgan with Amanda Holden attending the National Television Awards 2010
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Naomi Campbell and Piers Morgan during Fashion for Relief Haiti’ fashion show at Somerset House in 2010
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TV personality Piers Morgan and actor Colin Firth attend the luncheon to honor The Weinstein Company’s “The King’s Speech” at a Private Club in 2011
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Jerry Springer, Jackie Collins and Piers Morgan arrive to BritWeek 2012’s “Evening with Piers Morgan” in 2012
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Jackie Collins on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2012
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Goldie Hawn with Piers Morgan arrive at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 2012
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Mike Tyson (L) and CNN host Piers Morgan arrive at the grand opening of Tyson’s one-man show “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth – Live on Stage” at the Hollywood Theatre in 2012
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Paris Hilton and Piers Morgan attend the 3rd annual Sean Penn & Friends HELP HAITI HOME Gala benefiting J/P HRO presented by Giorgio Armani at Montage Beverly Hills in 2014
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Alesha Dixon on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2014
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Piers Morgan (R) and Vinnie Jones attend the BAFTA LA Celebrity Golf Classic at Oakmont Country Club in 2014
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Raquel Welch on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2015
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Piers Morgan and Lorraine Kelly in 2015
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Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan attend the 21st National Television Awards at The O2 Arena in 2016
Dave Benett
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Piers Morgan with the Dalai Lama in 2016
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Nigel Farage on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2016
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Kim Cattrall on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2016
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Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain in 2017
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Holly Willoughby and Piers Morgan in 2017
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Piers Morgan with Jeremy Corbyn
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Piers Morgan with Jeremy Corbyn
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Declan Donnelly and wife Lisa in the GMTV box at for day 2 of Royal Ascot in 2018, with Piers Morgan, Judge Rinder and Jeremy Kyle
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Charlotte Hawkins, Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on GMB in 2018
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Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on stage during the National Television Awards at The O2 Arena in 2017
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Piers Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror newspaper holds a copy of his newspaper for the young readers ‘First News’ in 2006
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Piers Morgan with Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell on Britain”s Got Talent in 2009
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Piers Morgan interviews President Donald Trump in 2018
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Piers Morgan in 1986
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Prince of Wales and Piers Morgan at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the Prince’s 50th birthday in 1998
PA Archive/PA Images
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The Queen Elizabeth meets Rebekah Wade, Ben Preston, Piers Morgan and Martin Townsend during a reception for the media at Windsor Castle in 2002
PA
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Piers Morgan, editor of The Mirror, at the High Court in London, where supermodel Naomi Campbell sued the newspaper for breach of confidence and/or unlawful invasion of privacy in2002
PA
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Piers Morgan receives the Newspaper Editor of the Year award at GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2002
PA
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Piers Morgan attends the Book Launch Party for his memoirs, entitled “The Insider” in 2005
Getty Images
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Fearne Cotton and Piers Morgan launch a search to find green teenagers across the UK to take part in NPower’s Climate Cops programme in Regents Park in 2008
Getty Images
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Don Trump Jr., Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, and Ivanka Trump pose at the “Celebrity Apprentice” finale at Rock Center Cafe in 2008
Getty Images
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Kim Kardashian and Piers Morgan celebrate Kim Kardashian’s appearance on “The Apprentice” at Provacateur in 2010
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Piers Morgan with Amanda Holden attending the National Television Awards 2010
PA
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Naomi Campbell and Piers Morgan during Fashion for Relief Haiti’ fashion show at Somerset House in 2010
AFP/Getty Images
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TV personality Piers Morgan and actor Colin Firth attend the luncheon to honor The Weinstein Company’s “The King’s Speech” at a Private Club in 2011
Getty Images
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Jerry Springer, Jackie Collins and Piers Morgan arrive to BritWeek 2012’s “Evening with Piers Morgan” in 2012
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Jackie Collins on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2012
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Goldie Hawn with Piers Morgan arrive at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 2012
AFP/Getty Images
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Mike Tyson (L) and CNN host Piers Morgan arrive at the grand opening of Tyson’s one-man show “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth – Live on Stage” at the Hollywood Theatre in 2012
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Paris Hilton and Piers Morgan attend the 3rd annual Sean Penn & Friends HELP HAITI HOME Gala benefiting J/P HRO presented by Giorgio Armani at Montage Beverly Hills in 2014
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Alesha Dixon on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2014
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Piers Morgan (R) and Vinnie Jones attend the BAFTA LA Celebrity Golf Classic at Oakmont Country Club in 2014
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Raquel Welch on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2015
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Piers Morgan and Lorraine Kelly in 2015
Rex Features
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Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan attend the 21st National Television Awards at The O2 Arena in 2016
Dave Benett
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Piers Morgan with the Dalai Lama in 2016
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Nigel Farage on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2016
ITV / Shiver
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Kim Cattrall on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories in 2016
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Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain in 2017
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Holly Willoughby and Piers Morgan in 2017
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Piers Morgan with Jeremy Corbyn
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Piers Morgan with Jeremy Corbyn
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Declan Donnelly and wife Lisa in the GMTV box at for day 2 of Royal Ascot in 2018, with Piers Morgan, Judge Rinder and Jeremy Kyle
Daily Mail
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Charlotte Hawkins, Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on GMB in 2018
He said being friends with President Trump actually benefited him with the interview him because their familiarity helped Morgan cut through what he described as “just chat”
He said: “Plus, with Trump I have a unique relationship with him. It came about because I won Celebrity Apprentice in 2008. That’s when I got to know him.
“I spent three hours with him every night for six weeks and he was nowhere near as terrifying in that environment than he seems to some people as president.
“A lot of it is just chat. You would soon learn that about Trump if you knew him.”
Morgan was in conversation with Loose Women star Christine Lampard on the second day of the three-day RTS Cambridge Conference.
