How Donald Trump and CNN found each other again
They have been at war since the 2016 presidential election. But Donald Trump is now eager to capture the attention the forum provides, while CNN needs to shore up falling ratings.
Advisers to former President Donald Trump were bracing for rejection when they relayed an offer to him a couple months ago: CNN wanted the leading 2024 Republican presidential candidate to do a live town hall in New Hampshire.
Instead, Mr Trump, who made CNN the target of his relentless attacks on the news media, agreed and has been eager to capture the attention the forum provides, according to people familiar with his decision.
On Wednesday night he will field questions from voters and CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins in what could be a mutually beneficial arrangement between a news network facing low ratings and a candidate trying to win over viewers beyond conservative news outlets.
The town hall “could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN,” Mr Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform Tuesday, “or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me. Let’s see what happens?” It will mark Mr Trump’s first appearance in a CNN event since 2016. By the time Mr Trump made it to the White House in early 2017, the relationship had become deeply contentious, as illustrated by a mock video once tweeted by Mr Trump that showed him body-slamming a figure with the CNN logo over its face, or a decision to ban Ms. Collins from covering a Rose Garden event.
#FraudNewsCNN#FNNpic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017
Seven months ago, Mr Trump filed a $475 million defamation lawsuit against the network, which is still pending.
The decision to host Mr Trump for a town hall comes as CNN Chief Executive Chris Licht has been looking for the right formula to reshape programming and boost ratings since taking the job about a year ago. Mr Licht has also sought to reset the network’s tone and on-air editorial approach after internal research found that some viewers were turned off by inflammatory political coverage, a person familiar with the matter said. The network has since moved away from political pundits and panels in favour of more traditional news coverage, the person said.
The town hall is the most anticipated event so far in the still-forming Republican nomination contest and comes as Mr Trump has strengthened his position despite facing a number of legal challenges.
On Tuesday afternoon, a federal jury found Mr Trump liable to E. Jean Carroll for battery and defamation and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages, after a civil trial in which the columnist alleged the former president raped her in a Manhattan department store nearly 30 years ago.
CNN declined to comment on the jury’s findings. In a social-media post, Mr Trump called the verdict a disgrace. His lawyer said he would appeal.
Hosting Mr Trump creates a risk for CNN, which has drawn criticism for giving a platform to a politician whose false claims that the 2020 election was stolen helped spawn the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Personally I wouldn’t interview a man who has used live interviews to incite violence and tell lies, who has in the past encouraged violence against CNN itself,” MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan said on his show, echoing other commentary.
“President Trump is the Republican frontrunner, and our job despite his unique circumstances is to do what we do best. Ask tough questions, follow up, and hold him accountable to give voters the information they need to sort through their choices,” CNN Spokesman Matt Dornic said in a statement.
Frank Sesno, a former Washington bureau chief for CNN, said the network was justified in seeking the event, but could have done a better job promoting the town hall to make clear that Mr Trump would be pressed on a range of topics.
Mr Trump, he said, “is the leading candidate in the Republican Party with a lot to answer for. Being in an open forum where he can be asked those questions is perfectly legitimate,” said Mr Sesno, now at George Washington University.
The détente began a couple of months ago when CNN reached out to Jason Miller, a veteran Trump adviser who joined the campaign in February, and brought up the idea of a town hall, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Campaign officials were open to the idea, reasoning that Mr Trump performs well in a town-hall setting and that it would expose him to a broader audience, the people said.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump was upset with Fox News, feeling he had been generally iced out at the network, and what he views as glowing coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to people close to him. Mr DeSantis, who emerged as a national figure by fighting Covid restrictions and is involved in a high-profile fight with Walt Disney, is expected to soon enter the GOP primary race and is running second to Mr Trump in polls. Mr Trump has made multiple appearances on Fox recently.
Fox News parent Fox Corp. and Wall Street Journal parent News Corp share common ownership.
Since launching his campaign in November, Mr Trump has done interviews with some mainstream news outlets and regularly has reporters on his campaign plane, usually representing a mix of traditional organisations and conservative ones. It is part of an overall effort to reach more voters as he seeks to win the party’s nomination.
Mr Trump’s issues with Fox News pale in comparison with the long-running acrimony with CNN, which has included tense relationships with reporters and repeated public attacks on the network.
In 2018, when Jim Acosta, CNN’s Chief White House Correspondent at the time, asked during a news conference about a statement Mr Trump made about a caravan of migrants moving toward the U.S. being an “invasion,” Mr Trump told him “You are a rude, terrible person.” The White House revoked Mr Acosta’s credentials, prompting a lawsuit from CNN. He eventually got them back.
In a social-media post, Mr Trump last week posted a screenshot of a tweet by CNN reporter Oliver Darcy about the town hall, with the caption: “Going into the heart of Enemy territory, but maybe the Enemy is changing?” On Wednesday, an ad paid for by a political committee controlled by former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney will air on CNN in New Hampshire, according to the group. The ad – narrated by Ms. Cheney, who served as vice chair of the Jan. 6 select committee investigating the attack on the Capitol – shows footage of the assault as Ms. Cheney says, ” Donald Trump is a risk America can never take again,” according to a copy of the spot posted on YouTube.
Dow Jones
