While mining for ratings gold amid a massive decline in viewership, CNN pumped more life into an already fully-energized 2024 Trump campaign and even allowed a forbidden topic, 2020 election fraud, to seep into the political debate.
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday night "made a long-awaited return to CNN, the lion's den of what he calls 'fake news,' for a prime time town hall broadcast live from New Hampshire. Moderated by Kaitlan Collins, the forum offered the former president a chance to address a wide range of issues, take questions from voters, and perhaps most importantly, demonstrate that he remains the 800 pound gorilla of the Republican Party," columnist and Trump White House official Monica Crowley wrote.
The Left's outrage meter was likely off the charts immediately as Collins opened the town hall by questioning Trump about the 2020 election.
Collins said: “Polls show that you are dominating the Republican race right now, but you are also under active federal investigation for trying to overturn the 2020 election results. Your first term ended with a deadly riot at the Capitol, and you still have not publicly acknowledged the 2020 election result. Why should Americans put you back in the White House?”
Trump responded: “Because we did fantastically. We got 12 million more votes than we had in–as you know, in 2016. I actually say we did far better in that election, got the most that anybody’s ever gotten as a sitting president of the United States.”
Trump continued: “I think that when you look at that result and when you look at what happened during that election, unless you’re a very stupid person, you see what happens. A lot of the people – a lot of the people in this audience and probably maybe a couple that don’t, but most people understand what happened. That was a rigged election, and it’s a shame we had to go through it. It’s bad for our country all over the world, they looked at it and they saw exactly what everyone else saw. Even if you look recently with the 51 intelligence agents that made a difference. If you look at the FBI and Twitter, call it Twitter files, it made a big difference.”
Collins said: “Mr. President back to what you just said there, though. It was not a rigged election. It was not a stolen election. You and your supporters lost more than 60 court cases on the election. It’s been nearly two and a half years. Can you publicly acknowledge that you did lose the 2020 election?”
Trump said: “Let me just go on. If you look at True the Vote, they found millions of votes on camera, on government cameras where they were stuffing ballot boxes. So with all of that I think it’s a shame what happened. I think it’s a very sad thing for our country. I think it’s a very sad thing frankly for the world.”
Following the town hall, which was cut short by 20 minutes according to reports, Gary Tuchman, a CNN national correspondent, interviewed several audience members and found none of their opinions about Trump had changed. One audience member chided CNN for jumping right to questions about the 2020 election.
“I feel like part of it is also the media narrative, as you guys asked him the first question at the town hall about the 2020 election rather than current stuff,” said a 40-year-old Republican who voted for Trump twice.
Asked about the events of January 6, 2021, Trump pulled out a readout of his tweets encouraging peaceful protests, respect for law enforcement, an end to the violence, and a dispersal of the crowds — tweets which were removed by Twitter.
He also placed the blame squarely on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who were responsible for Capitol and District security.
"I offered them 10,000 soldiers... if they would have taken 500 soldiers, we wouldn't have the problem," Trump said. "They turned it down. And if you look at the Inspector General report, he says they turned it down. They made a terrible mistake."
Trump also indicated a willingness to pardon "many" J6 defendants.
Crowley noted: "Throughout, Trump was Trump, batting away questions in his signature rapid-fire manner and deploying his quick wit. He appeared relaxed and in command, so it's no wonder that his haters went into total meltdown."
The meltdown, on the air and online, was riveting, to say the least:
New York socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez seemed to be going for the ratioed record:
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
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, who hit many a ratings bonanza with Trump in the 2016 election, was "outraged," that CNN would give Trump a 2024 platform:
“It was disgraceful on every level.” Joe Scarborough rips into CNN’s Trump Town Hall. (Video: MSNBC) pic.twitter.com/bv5U3sdreC
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 11, 2023
The view from "The View" was predictable but nonetheless entertaining:
"That is not American!" Joy Behar RAGES at CNN for having Republican voters at their Trump town hall, served them Kool-Aid. "What I didn't know was that the audience would be filled with his cult!" "Why would CNN put only Republicans and people who love me in the audience?!" pic.twitter.com/uW06fJP0ER
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 11, 2023
As Crowley put it: "Trump crushed it and everyone knew it.
"Having spent the last eight years trying to destroy him, they can't believe he's not only still standing; he's the leading Republican candidate for president by far, and at least even money to be re-elected President."
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