CNN slammed after announcing new Trump 'Presidential Town Hall'

[Joinfortmill]

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-town-hall-cnn/

This should be a 'shit show'. (my words)

'CNN immediately came under fire Monday afternoon when the flailing news network announced it will host a "presidential town hall" next week featuring Donald Trump, the ex-president who is under criminal felony indictment, currently being sued in a civil rape and defamation case, and under multiple other likely criminal investigations including for his actions surrounding his January 6, 2021 insurrection and efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The event," CNN revealed, "will feature the former president taking questions from New Hampshire Republicans and undeclared voters who plan to vote in the 2024 GOP presidential primary." No other candidates, announced or unannounced, appear to have been invited to attend, making it an entire show focused on the ex-president who lost his re-election bid by 7,059,526 votes.

Former CNN and MSNBC journalist Keith Olbermann declared that CNN was "committing journalistic suicide."'

[Poiuyt]

1. I thought Biden was our president now

Silly me

[Oneironaut]

28. Yeah, but he's bad for ratings.

Boooring! Bring back the psychotic dictator-wannabe, am I right CNN?

[pfitz59]

2. Pre-screened questions from pre-screened attendees?

Worthless campaign tripe. Will the FEC finally declare these events illegal campaign contributions?

[PortTack]

3. PLEASE PLEASE don't watch so their ratings tank. It's the only thing that will help

[nowforever]

27. They have already tanked

CNN has lowest ratings since their inception. Desperation is the name of the game now. To late...

[calimary]

43. I already had no intention of doing so.

That bastard can’t say ANYTHING to impress me except to announce he’s sincerely sorry for everything he’s done AND pay significant reparations to everyone he’s wronged. Every last one of them.

And Fat Chance THAT ever happens.

[JanLip]

53. I don't think sorry is in his vocabulary

I won’t be watching. We quit cable. I could probably find it on the net but not interested in any thing the son of a gun has to say. I’m sure he’ll tell one lie after another and we’ve heard it all before. CNN is making a big blunder

Jan

[calimary]

54. Yeah, no shit.

I have no interest in anything he has to say - about anything OR anyone. Schmuck interests me NOT AT ALL.

On the other hand…
Saw my hero Jay Inslee on Rachel Maddow’s Monday show, and he warmed my heart again. I was all onboard Team Inslee in 2020 - until Biden stepped up.

[JohnSJ]

4. They are giving a Town Hall to someone who tried to overthrow the U.S. government

I sure won't be watching it

[enough]

5. "Presidential?" In what sense? More than a year before the election, and no President present?

Apparently they really are trying to replace Fox.

[anciano]

6. What is the media's fascination with this guy?

Seriously, what I am I missing here?

[Joinfortmill]

8. Corrupted Capitalism coupled with monstrous levels of greed

[blm]

7. A CANDIDATE town hall.Report it accurately, CNN.

[lindysalsagal]

9. Here's the feedback link: https://help.cnn.com/us/Feedback

https://help.cnn.com/us/Feedback

Here's mine:

Trump town hall? He tried to overthrow the government!

Are you seriously entertaining a traitor? Treating him like he's a legitimate candidate?

You're pretending he's a statesman? Have you forgotten that potus is the only elected seat he ever won, and it was marginal? Is that how low you have to go to survive? Pander to his idiot maga base? Shame on you.

The Most Trusted, my ass.

[redwitch]

33. I just sent them my thoughts on this too.

CNN is officially dead in this house.

[ProfessorGAC]

44. Same Here

Really stupid decision by CNN.

[Quanto Magnus]

66. I just posted feedback too... eom

[slightlv]

68. I gave my feedback last night, as soon as it was announced.

And it was not nice. Truthful... but not nice!

[BComplex]

10. CNN is STUPID if they think giving trump air time is going to make people want him.

Now, if they are wanting to make sure republicans don't win any seats at all in 2024, then this is a good strategy.

[Freethinker65]

11. Free air time to ONE candidate? WTAF? No DeSantis? No Haley?

No Scott? No Hutchinson? No Pence?

I assume this will be in prime time, too. Unbelievable.

[Freethinker65]

12. After, a "Democrat" of Trump's choosing will be given a 10 minute rebuttal opportunity.

Wouldn't be at all surprised.

[Takket]

30. Sinema lol

[budkin]

13. Where's that dude that always defends CNN and claims it's "not moving right?"

Get in here and defend this!

[Doc Sportello]

23. Good question

I've put him on ignore because no matter how many facts or links I posted the only response you got back was deflection or "no it isn't" or profanity. Seemed to be an emotional thing for them and certainly ignored the obvious. Not worth my time.

[onecaliberal]

48. Had to do the same today. Not worth it.

[Doc Sportello]

51. Yeah it's like a duel where the other guy is firing blanks

It's literally the only time I saw him post was about CNN, and then he had nothing but blanks to shoot - but keeps shooting again and again. I wondered if there was connection to Licht or something to explain why this subject was so important that someone was willing to embarrass themselves like that. Ahh, like you said, not worth it.

[Sky Jewels]

38. I'm scanning the horizon to see if there are any rain clouds

and a receptacle to catch the precipitation in.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

58. He's still waiting for any statistical analysis that they are moving right.

Do I like this? No. Does it mean that CNN is moving right? No, it doesn't. If they had refused to do this, then the RW would cry that they are the horrible tool of the leftists.

I imagine they won't take it easy on him. Who knows. But the reality is that we are approaching election season and Trump is the front runner at this point. They can't ignore that. Nor should they.

[hadEnuf]

61. And meanwhile, Fox is the openly horrible tool of the Rightists.

CNN and other networks really need to quit belly crawling to this nonexistent "fair & balanced" crap when the right wing is nothing of the sort.

They will only lose viewers and respect by playing this rigged game.

[Cuthbert Allgood]

63. So because they do shitty things, CNN should do shitty things?

That's a flawed argument.

[hadEnuf]

81. So instead we keep bending over to get our butt's kicked? That's a pretty flawed argument as well.

Pandering to these snake's nonsense is partly the reason why we are where we are today.

Please explain why refusing to give exclusive coverage to a man who is under criminal indictment and investigations as well as inciting an attempted coup of the US government would be a shitty thing to do?

[Cuthbert Allgood]

84. News Flash: CNN is not an arm of the Democratic Party.

Never have been; never will be. Nor should they be. They do lean left, though.

I don't like that they are doing this, either. But it doesn't make them right wing. Whether we like it or not, it looks like Trump has a legitimate shot at the R nomination and is the front runner. CNN can't stop that from happening. Nor should they.

[hadEnuf]

85. There is no need for CNN to present an exclusive forum for more of Trump's

violent and lie laden rhetoric at this point, any more than they need to present an exclusive forum for Liam Thomas Walker of the George Wallace Party.

You would expect this stuff from totally partisan Fox News, but not from a network that purportedly strives to report legitimate news. CNN has clearly taken a conservative bent on their reporting in the name of being "objective". Just ask their new CEO. But all they are doing is helping to legitimize dangerous extremist insanity. That is not responsible media.

[senseandsensibility]

14. They are being slammed on twiter

as well they should be.

[democrank]

15. Disgusting

Don’t watch

[Bettie]

16. So, according to CNN he is the current president?

Well, that's, um, interesting. Didn't know they were getting on the election denial bandwagon so late. Maybe they're just chasing after it?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

37. A board member and the president of one of the larger CNN shareholders is a RWNJ

Link to tweet

A reminder that CNN is now heavily influenced by key Warner Bros. Discovery board member and Trump supporter, John Malone.

Malone is chairman of Liberty Media, Discovery's largest shareholder.

He previously donated $250,000 to Trump's inauguration, and gushed over Fox News' style of 'journalism,' saying, the U.S. "needs Fox News or something like it. Because otherwise, everything’s leftist."

The use of his term "leftist" here really says it all.

Malone has also compared himself to Rupert Murdoch: "Rupert is sort of like I am. He’s a libertarian, but he thinks we should have a strong military," he told the Financial Times in 2017.

According to Vox, Malone has repeatedly wished, in public, for CNN to remake itself.

[onethatcares]

17. let your cable company know

to take CNN off your list of channels. It's the only thing that works

[sheshe2]

18. Slick Licht is licking GOP ****

[Caliman73]

19. It would only be Journalistic Suicide if they were a "journalistic organization"

While they have some good journalists on staff, the organization is a "Media Organization" more than a strictly journalistic one. Ratings and viewership drive the agenda more than the desire to get the best information and most accurate news out there.

They are certainly sacrificing any reputation they may have left for a ratings hit.

[bluestarone]

20. TWO FUCKING YEARS of this BULLSHIT!

FUCK CNN

[Rocknation]

21. Does CNN plan to host town halls for all the other candidates?

Rocknation

[gab13by13]

22. Everything Trump does is scripted,

so CNN is a part of the script.

This is why I only watch Nicolle Wallace, I will watch Rachel tonight.

CNN and MSNBC both push right wing talking points.

[OMGWTF]

24. CNN is the new Fux News

[onetexan]

26. Yup looks like it's filling in faux news' shoes

Definition of insanity anyone?

[BumRushDaShow]

35. But all the Faux Snooze viewers

are now over at loonville Newsmax. They will NEVER watch CNN. They are the same people who created nasty memes and even a video of their terrorist leader beating the shit out of a "reporter" representation of CNN using the logo as the "head".

[TomSlick]

52. That's the CNN goal.

It is no longer a news agency.

[Takket]

25. i don't know how to even put in words how unethical this is........

for a major new network to give a single candidate a town hall? let alone refer to it as "presidential". There's a reason we should all take CNN's leader seriously when he said he's moving the network to the right. He's doing exactly what he said he would.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

56. No one at CNN ever said that.

And it isn't true on any level.

[slightlv]

29. Just gave them feedback

that they're not going to like, but that they had to hear!

[Boomerproud]

31. I can't believe they're doing this.

They'll promote the hell out of it with his pic and the stupid little clock in the corner counting down.

[James48]

32. I don't get it.

But that definitely alienates me.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

34. CNN has turned to the dark side

CNN went to the darkside

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Sky Jewels]

39. They thought there was going to be a red wave in 2022 ...

a red wave that they tried their darnedest to manufacture and push ... and they expected to be sitting pretty as Republicans' new pet--their obedient media lap dogs. Didn't work. ... "SAD."

[Sky Jewels]

36. Hey, CNN!

I'll toss you this anvil -- Catch!

[yardwork]

40. What the actual?

[BigmanPigman]

41. I just sent Licht a nastygram

He is doing a 2016 re-do. $$$$/ratings and selling the country. I've been telling people about my boycott and am spreading the word.

[Mr. Sparkle]

42. This is going to be a shitshow for either Trump,CNN or both

It's not often there is an event where everybody loses, but this such an event.

[Evolve Dammit]

45. Fuck CNN for even giving this twice-impeached, indicted criminal mob boss a forum. FU. n/t

[NullTuples]

46. Trump: "I'm going to skip the debates"...now we know why. He has a TV channel.

[FakeNoose]

47. If this is a "Presidential Town Hall" why didn't they invite Obama and Dubya?

[AdamGG]

49. I thought CNN's low point was when they spent 10 days talking about nothing but a missing plane...

However, this is much worse.

[live love laugh]

50. Republican Owned Media strikes again. Not surprised.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

55. It isn't the job of news organizations to deplatform the leading candidate of one of the two

major political parties in the United States.

I shudder to think what kind of authoritarian world some people would wish to live in where they in control.

One-party state. One-party press.

That's not a liberal state. The Democratic Party stands for freedom of the press.

DU never fails to disappoint.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

69. It is not the job of news organizations to promote one candidate over others

It is not the job of news organizations to promote demogoguery, anti-science, anti-democracy, "alternative facts".

P.S.:
You must love disappointment.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

70. And that's not what CNN is doing.

I think Joe Biden will handily beat Trump (again) so I don't expect to be "disappointed."

I sure as hell don't want to live in an authoritarian single party state with a single party press, as that's not liberal Democracy.

We will see who is disappointed and who is not.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

71. Of course that's what CNN is doing.

See? Anyone can make unsupported assertions. The trouble is, CNN's announcement supports mine and refutes yours.

As to disappointment, you said nothing about Biden before. You said, "DU never fails to disappoint."

[Just A Box Of Rain]

72. Absolutely wrong.

I love Joe Biden and supported him even before he announced in 2016.

He beat Trump once and he'll do it again (by a bigger margin).

Liberal Democracy is under threat from populist authoritarians. I will resist. We will win.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

79. Non-sequitur; strawman. You said, "DU never fails to disappoint."

[Just A Box Of Rain]

80. Yep.

[ecstatic]

77. Then, where is the line? If Steve Bannon or a KKK leader runs,

is it OK for CNN to give them a town hall too?

[Just A Box Of Rain]

78. The leading contender for one of America's two major political parties

clearly isn't "the line," no matter how odious any of us may find Donald J Trump, a person I loathe as much as anyone of DU might.

[ecstatic]

82. Then we'll have to agree to disagree

Steve Bannon and KKK leaders could easily end up being the frontRunner in today's GOP. It's not just about loathing someone. The guy tried to overthrow the last election. He is literally the "enemy of the State" that he's always complaining about.

At the end of the day, CNN has discretion here. They can do things that will protect our democracy or they can do things that will harm or potentially end our democracy, just to get some ratings.

They will be 100% responsible for any role they played if he gets back in the White House. The irony is that they could potentially be leading the way to their own destruction. TFG wants CNN and most other news networks to be shut down.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

83. Not to "get ratings," but rather to do their jobs as a news organization covering the 2024

Presidential election.

Where would it end? Should no broadcast news organization cover DeSantis or Hailey or any other Republican running for office?

The real irony is that by following that course CNN and other news outlets would no longer serve their function in a free soieity, and would be acting more like FOX “News” rather than less so.

Be careful what you wish for, as that’s the path to authoritarianism.

Not a path we should be embracing as proponents of liberal democracy in my estimation.

[ecstatic]

86. Yes or no: Did tfg try to overthrow the last election?

Did he make this attempt using numerous levers of the government, including tampering with the US mail operations, tampering with State electors, trying to get the DOJ to halt counts, threatening Secretaries of State, threatening congressmen, and threatening the vice president?

Someone who tries to overthrow a US election should not be enabled and should not be normalized. Period. This is not business as usual and I will NOT be gaslighted on this issue.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

87. Has Trump been convicted of any of these crimes?

Or is the press to act as his judge and jury?

You are not belong "gaslighted." My estimation of Trump is no different than yours. But replatforming major political candidates and/or political parties isn't the role of the press on a free state.

Your path is what takes place in autocracies only.

Not the direction liberal democrats should embrace IMO.

[newdayneeded]

57. I agree with everyone about this being BS,

but on the bright side, trump is gonna turn every answer to "I was cheated out of the election" to the point that even the audience members will squirming uncomfortably after a few questions.

This may turn out to be the Humphrey Bogart steely balls moment.

[Hortensis]

59. CNN's likely going to repeat what they can of their 2016 tactics.

They worked then, of course.

tRump'll no doubt run through top staff again -- so we should look for CNN to once again hire the ex-s as election "analysts" explaining Democrats to the nation.

They probably won't be able to give tRump quite so much priceless hours of biased, unfiltered coverage -- covering all his rallies, every speech, long phone-in interviews when tRump couldn't sit down before cameras.
The cable networks together, CNN, MSNBC, Fox, gave tRump what analysts estimate at $3 BILLION in free advertising.

They may be able to match the extensive exposure his and other candidate "surrogate" attack dogs were given to spread often blatant lies against Democrats and general tRump/Republican puffery.

But for sure as November 2024 approaches, expect MSM serving RW interests, including my personal favorites the NYT and AP, to abandon the cover they've held onto of journalistic integrity and go all out, as has become their usual the last few general elections.

The stakes are enormous.

[appleannie1]

60. I would not watch if it was not for the fact that I don't watch now so I can't

[republianmushroom]

62. 27 months and counting

[hay rick]

64. Come on in, the water's fine!

Maybe CNN is trolling for some disgruntled Fox viewers.

[onecaliberal]

65. Fascists gotta fascist.

[samsingh]

67. CNN wants to see if they can get zero ratings

i think they are well on their way

[Mike Nelson]

73. Well...

... this was going to happen. Crooked Donald appears, presently, to be the Republican most likely to win. The networks will all have to invite the declared candidates to participate in Town Halls, etc... HOWEVER, there are ways to start the appearances that would look less startling. CNN could first issue a statement saying each declared candidate will be invited yada yada yada... INSTEAD, they put TRUMP ON CNN front and center... How they've done this is interesting.

[Chakaconcarne]

74. What's surprising is that CNN is beating Fox to this kind of an event...

I don't think Trump will handle well even friendly questions....

[Ferrets are Cool]

75. Money "trumps" everything else.

[CatWoman]

76. ....

[LetMyPeopleVote]

88. if CNN was around during the Civil War

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[LetMyPeopleVote]

89. Trump is not a normal candidate for President. @CNN is trying to normalize him

Link to tweet