CNN star Anderson Cooper spoke out in support of his network hosting Trump on Wednesday night’s town hall, and so did the the former president himself.
Liberals lost their minds when the network announced that rising star Kaitlan Collins would be moderating the event at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.
“CNN followed the same trajectory as so many before, Trump berated and belittled them until they became his b****. It’s his classic move, he senses weakness and greed and exploits it,” tweeted comedian Noel Casler.
CNN’s own employees criticized the network after Trump spent Wednesday night talked circles around Collins about the 2020 election, his texts from Jan. 6, and the verdict of his E. Jean Carroll civil case.
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“You have every right to be outraged today and angry and never watch this network again. But do you think staying in your silo and only listening to… pic.twitter.com/xZXYSwtAoF
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 12, 2023
“It’s hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN,” complained Oliver Darcy in the network’s “Reliable Sources” newsletter.
“CNN aired it all. On and on it went. It felt like 2016 all over again,” Darcy lambasted.
“Collins was put in an uncomfortable position, given the town hall was conducted in front of a Republican audience that applauded Trump, giving a sense of unintended endorsement to his shameful antics.”
CNN’s Adam Kinzinger tweeted that the event was an “absolute joke,” then complained about it on live television.
“As somebody who spent the last two years countering the lies, I’m not going to pretend like it was easy for me to see the former president get this forum tonight — to lie to the American people over and over and over again,” he told Jake Tapper.
Anderson Cooper spent a segment on “360°” defending CNN for dedicating a town hall to Trump.
“The man you were so disturbed to see and hear from last night, that man is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president,” he said.
Cooper pointed out that no other Republican primary contender is anywhere close to Trump in the polls.
“That man you were so upset to hear from last night, he may be president of the United States in less than two years. And that audience that upset you? That’s a sampling of about half the country,” he continued.
“They are your family members, your neighbors, and they are voting. And many said they are voting for him.”
He said that viewers have “every right to be outraged” and to tune out from the network.
“But do you think staying in your silo and only listening to people you agree with is going to make that person go away,” he questioned.
Trump also came out in support of CNN for doing “the right thing” by hosting the town hall.
“I was happy to do it,” he commented to Fox News Digital on Thursday.
“I got the word out to millions of people that would generally not hear this point of view concerning things such as the border, inflation, the economy, energy independence, the Afghanistan catastrophe and more.”
“CNN is taking a lot of heat,” Trump remarked. “I think CNN did the right thing by putting me on—all you have to do is look at their fantastic ratings.
On his Thursday night show, Fox News star Greg Gutfeld joked that the town hall went over with liberals “as well as a spelling bee hosted by John Fetterman.”
He said viewers were enraged from the onset, when Trump received a standing ovation from an audience clearly packed with supporters.
“Seeing people applaud for Trump, that’s worse than cheering for jaws to eat more children,” the Fox News star cracked.