Donald Trump’s town hall with CNN on Wednesday drew criticism from liberal media commentators who spoke out against the network’s decision to give the former president an op-ed.
MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough said he didn’t know why CNN “didn’t just cut it”. Joy Behar of “The View” added that she had no idea the audience would be “filled with her worship.” “I would like to know if CNN was giving out Kool-Aid before the event started,” she said. And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D.N.Y., argued it was a “deeply irresponsible decision” to allow Trump to be a platform.
CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins asked Trump a series of questions about his claim that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged”, his involvement on January 6, and the verdict that found him liable for libel and battery against his accuser E. Jean Carroll.
Fox News’ Jesse Watters claimed on “The Five” on Thursday that the town hall format was “perfect” for Trump.
“Are you going to put President Trump live in the middle of a small arena surrounded by fans against a 30-year-old CNN anchor? Oh, my God. I mean, that wasn’t just last night. That’s what that everyone wants to see,” he explained. “And so CNN, I think, did well, because CNN is making a business decision here. They’re going to pivot and say, maybe we’re going to play this political game in the primary, and we’re going to chase the ratings from Listen. They got a good number last night, and we’re going to try to be normal again like before.”
Watters said the media was acting “hysterically” because their strategy to “censor and outrage” the president didn’t work.
CNN FACING THE “FURY” OF PERSONNEL ON THE TOWN HALL OF TRUMP: “IT’S LIKE 2016 ALL AGAIN”
“Trump’s been in the wilderness for a while, and now he’s coming back into mainstream media. He’s back. He’s becoming more commercially viable, and that’s what he wanted. And when he started off really calm and relaxed, it was smart,” he said. “They wanted him to come out struggling, and he didn’t. But it mounted a crescendo. And then at the end, he called her “nasty”.’ And that was the best part. He likes conflict. The media hate conflict because they want 100% agreement.”
“So Trump and the media don’t mix. And they’re going to have to figure that out because he’s going to show up on some of their programs and the way they’ve been running it hasn’t worked for them. And that’s why the media are so scared because they see how powerful he is once he gets his message across.”
“Five” co-host Jessica Tarlov said the media was between a rock and a hard place to cover Trump because he is currently the 2024 GOP frontrunner, but is saying things that need to be verified.
CNN HURTED BY ITS OWN ANALYST FOR TRUMP TOWN HALL: ‘THE GUY WHO TRIED TO KILL ME’
“I think it’s important to make sure people at least hear a reaction, that they actually process what you said in response — that the truth needs to come out,” she explained. “And there was an incredible cascade of lies coming out of his mouth from the border wall. He said, you know, I secured everything. It’s 1900 miles long. It’s 52 new miles. The documents. Obama took documents- – didn’t happen. Joe Biden didn’t comply. Joe Biden complied. Perfect phone calls with Brad Raffensperger and with Zelenskyy. That the Democrats support infanticide?! And Kaitlan Collins, drop that one.
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Former President Donald Trump got into a fight with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at a New Hampshire town hall.
“And I thought that was a big moment of loss for her, because if you want to make the Dobbs decision a focal point, which absolutely will be in this election, and you hear the former president saying Democrats support abortion until nine months, even after the baby is born – a complete disregard for his duty.And the day after he got a ruling that he sexually abused and defamed E. Jean Carroll, he called her an asshole and the audience laughs. It was A) just appalling.”
Fox News’ Joey Wulfsohn contributed to this report
