CNN’s Trump Town Hall Gets Failing Grade From Viewers and Calls for Chris Licht to Resign
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CNN’s live townhall Wednesday with Donald Trump might have been well received by the painfully obvious pro-Trump audience in the studio, but if social media is any indication viewers at home were far less amused.
The struggling cable news outfit was excoriated widely on Twitter during the event — and for hours after. Some said the broadcast was “not a town hall,” but a “rally” for Trump, others dismissed it as “a Trump infomercial,” and Democratic congressional representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said simply that CNN “should be ashamed.”
And many who watched called for CNN CEO Chris Licht to resign.
So what upset them? For one thing, the event featured what appeared to be an audience solely made up of Trump supporters. For another, it amounted to just over an hour in which the disgraced ex-president lied repeatedly, dissembled, evaded questions and advanced yet more false claims about the 2020 election.
Trump was was even allowed to smear E. Jean Carroll without real pushback from moderator Kaitlan Collins, literally a day after being found guilty of sexually assaulting and defaming her. And later he even insulted Collins in personal terms.
After the show, journalist Mark Harris, among those calling on Licht to step down, offered this brutal assessment of the debacle: “A failure this immense happens when you forget that journalism’s only allegiance is to the truth, and decide instead that your highest priorities are to have no opinion about anything and to platform lies by calling them ‘newsworthy’ or saying, ‘But a lot of people believe him.'”
Harris also broke down what he saw as the key mistakes made, among them CNN agreeing to pack the audience with Trump supporters, and not canceling the event entirely in light of Trump being convicted by a civil trial jury of sexual battery and defamation.
Update: The proper thing for Chris Licht to do now is resign. https://t.co/RXdFXNHUug
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) May 11, 2023
There were so many mistakes here. 1) Agreeing to an entirely partisan audience as a condition of the interview. 2) Deciding that someone could serve as moderator, host, interviewer and corrector of the record simultaneously. 3) Ignoring Trump's history of lying in your planning.>
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) May 11, 2023
of the verdict, the show would now have to begin with a 15-minute one-on-one interview with no live audience. 7) Ignoring the many people, including in your own organization, who made ALL these points in advance. This isn't "Who could have known?" People knew, and they said so.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) May 11, 2023
Writer and political consultant Simon Rosenberg also called on Licht to resign, declaring that “he’s brought incredible shame to his once proud network.”
Chris Licht should voluntarily step down. He's brought incredible shame to his once proud network. https://t.co/CEVoos9fYz
— Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) May 11, 2023
Journalist Kara Swisher broke down what she saw and the major problems with how Trump was treated, and noted “the audience was gamed in his favor.”
A thread: As I said before, this was an impossible stage. But there were a few key moments where @CNN could have taken back the con from Trump, even tho his cavalcade of lies made it very difficult and the audience was gamed in his favor. Here’s my quick thoughts as an… https://t.co/ZCaBaiHST5 pic.twitter.com/TvvWtyZdlf
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) May 11, 2023
Trump’s estranged niece, Mary Trump, said “CNN is anti-American.”
I'm furious. . . . CNN is anti-American.
In less than an hour, they allowed an authoritarian wannabe to lie constantly while an audience full of his followers applauded. This was not a town hall, it was a rally.
Donald bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade.
He… pic.twitter.com/Q8T3QxfMCL— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) May 11, 2023
One Twitter user deemed the interview a “stand up comedy show.”
This CNN town hall event is a stand up comedy show.
CNN looks terrible.pic.twitter.com/yjUZv8s2V4— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 11, 2023
An unnamed CNN on-air personality deemed the network’s coverage a “Trump infomercial,” according to The Daily Beast.
Immediate reaction from a CNN on-air personality to me just now on this Trump town hall: "It is so bad. I was cautiously optimistic despite the criticism. It is awful. It's a Trump infomercial. We're going to get crushed."
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 11, 2023
When asked about the January 6 riots, Trump celebrated those who stormed the Capitol, speaking of his supporters, “they thought the election was rigged. And they were there proud.”
“They were there with love in their heart,” he continued. “That was an unbelievable and it was a beautiful day.”
President Joe Biden tweeted a video in response to these assertions, placing Trump’s statements above a video displaying the violence of the insurrection. “The January 6th rioters were not good people,” Biden wrote. “End of story.”
There were not fine people on both sides of Charlottesville.
The January 6th rioters were not good people.
End of story. pic.twitter.com/1Jc9yQwTvh— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 11, 2023
The town hall interview, which took place in New Hampshire Wednesday night, was criticized by some Democrats even before it aired. Many were skeptical of CNN’s willingness to give the former president such a large platform with so much airtime amid his myriad legal scandals.
Another viewer believes Trump’s continued denial of Carroll’s allegations on CNN were grounds for another defamation lawsuit.
If I were E Jean Carroll's lawyer I would file new defamation charges tomorrow morning. And then seek summary judgement.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) May 11, 2023
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) slammed CNN’s coverage, tweeting that the network allowed the town hall to “be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of [the January 6 Capitol riots], and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim.”
CNN should be ashamed of themselves.
They have lost total control of this “town hall” to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim.
The audience is cheering him on and laughing at the host.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 11, 2023
Below are some more critiques of the town hall, from Collins’ lack of assertiveness to the hall’s fully Republican and GOP-leaning independent live audience, and more:
This CNN townhall is a good view into our current politics. 25 minutes spent entirely on Stop the Steal, Jan 6, E Jean Carrol with some insane Trump moments
but a GOP audience who still claps at almost everything he says— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) May 11, 2023
Me watching the CNN townhall.
"I'm caught in a time loop, this is exactly where it all went wrong" pic.twitter.com/pJG2UR49yp— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) May 11, 2023
CNN is basically Trump TV tonight pic.twitter.com/YZfvTF3LZk
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 10, 2023
This “town hall” should live in infamy. It should be taught in journalism school and media programs as one of the lowest points there ever was. Trump is just on a rampage of lies and Kaitlin Collins is getting utterly trampled by them
—
Umair (@umairh) May 11, 2023
The audience for the CNN townhall w/Trump will be 400 Republicans & GOP-leaning independents
Allowing Trump to appear in front of an audience exclusively comprised of people who are likely sympathetic to Trump — and then turn over the questions to that group — is irresponsible— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) May 10, 2023
Also Read:
Watch Donald Trump’s Entire Deposition in the E. Jean Carroll Rape Trial (Video)