![]() ![]() “If they think they’re the first mover in trying to get back in the mix of Biden vs. “Another thing is that I think CNN wants to be relevant in this election,” Wihbey added. Meanwhile, this could also have been an opportunity to promote Collins, whom Wihbey called “a rising star” in journalism known for her tough interviews, including with Trump. “Trump spent so much time lambasting Jim Acosta he made CNN a kind of swear word in Republican circles.” “For CNN maybe this was a try to reach out across party lines and try to establish themselves as some kind of center-left media brand,” Wihbey said. Why wasn’t Donald Trump handcuffed? Did he get a mugshot? “I mean, CNN itself had been in the headlines,” Wihbey said, pointing to leadership change and recent high-profile firings and calling the town hall an “unorthodox move.” A recent $787.5 million settlement by Fox News for airing false claims about Dominion Voting systems also may have given them pause … or maybe it gave CNN a chance to get closer to or overtake their right-wing rival (and give Trump a chance to diss Rupert Murdoch for his primetime hosts’ unflattering text messages). “It could be a big backfire for him … if he finally just loses his (expletive) and starts yelling at the audience-that’s likely as anything.”Īnd, Wihbey said, such moments will likely go viral on social media and figure prominently in President Joe Biden campaign ads.įor the network, well, the decision to even hold a town hall with Trump was controversial due to his demonstrated penchant for lying and for his incendiary statements, which got him banned from Facebook and Twitter for a period of time. “Honestly, it’s the sort of unfiltered stuff that I worry about the most,” Wihbey said. Wihbey noted that Trump doesn’t typically handle criticism or being challenged well. Trump’s CNN town hall: Defending rioters, mocking sexual assault, threatening default.Jean Carroll to applause during CNN town hall Trump pushes false election claims, mocks E.Cable carnage: Trump turns CNN town hall into televised combat.Trump’s Falsehoods and Bluster Overtake CNN Town Hall.On Wednesday night, Trump again refused to acknowledge he lost the last election said he’d pardon Capitol rioters. It also came with risks-for both the former president and for the network, Wihbey said.įor the former president, he faced voters and a moderator who asked him about his roles in multiple ongoing investigations, who had no incentive to lob softball questions and who challenged the current Republican 2024 frontrunner on some of his most controversial statements and actions. “This event with former President Trump will be the first of many for CNN in the coming months as CNN correspondents travel across the country to hear directly from voters in the runup to the 2024 presidential election,” the network said. Jean Carroll.ĬNN said in a May 1 press release that it has “a longstanding tradition of hosting leading presidential candidates for Town Halls and political events as a critical component of the network’s robust campaign coverage.” Then, there were the latest headlines out of a New York courtroom, where a jury on Tuesday found the former president liable for the sexual assault and defamation of writer E. In fact, Trump’s most likely challenger for the GOP nomination, Ron DeSantis, has not even declared whether he will run. First of all, Wihbey noted it was early in the election cycle. It marked the first time that Trump appeared on CNN since 2016, according to the network.Īnd-it can’t be ignored-it came at an odd time. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University John Wihbey, assistant professor of journalism and media innovation. The CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall featured questions from moderator Kaitlan Collins, as well as New Hampshire Republican and undeclared voters who plan to vote in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. “Both saw they needed a center or center-left audience, and this event may have benefited both.” “Both sides clearly saw some incentive here,” Wihbey says. CNN and former President Donald Trump may have seemed like an odd match.Īfter all, Trump rallies featured ‘CNN sucks’ chants, while the network’s former chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta was banned from the executive mansion after emerging as Trump’s chief media antagonist.īut John Wihbey, an assistant professor of journalism and new media at Northeastern University, says the opportunities for both CNN and for Trump from Wednesday evening’s town hall in New Hampshire may have outweighed the tension between the two camps.
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