Liberals were left fuming over CNN's town hall with Donald Trump as the former president firmly took control of the event.
The town hall, hosted by CNN's Kaitlan Collins, aired Wednesday night from New Hampshire.
Progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., directed their anger squarely at CNN.
She tweeted Wednesday: "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."
And the Democrat group, Call to Action tweeted: "OUTRAGEOUS. CNN'S Town Hall has only been on a few minutes and Trump: Repeated election lies at least a dozen times. Says Ashli Babbitt was a patriot and calls the officer who shot her a 'thug.' Says he will pardon a large portion of January 6 insurrectionists. Called E. Jean Carroll a wack job TO AUDIENCE LAUGHTER. Seriously, F*** CNN"
And Twitchy noted that you can tell things went well for Trump "by how much froth we're seeing spewed by our Lefty friends on Twitter. Imagine allowing one politician to have so much power over the way you feel … the hatred is just ridiculous."
The DC Enquirer noted the instant standing ovation Trump received from the town hall audience, prompting Collins to remark: "You've got quite a crowd."
And The New York Times' Jonathan Swan wrote during the town hall: "Advisers to Trump are thrilled at how this is going so far for him. They can't believe he is getting an hour on CNN with an audience that cheers his every line and laughs at his every joke."
The Times also reported CNN Chair Chris Licht defended the network from the backlash it is receiving.
On a network-wide editorial call on Thursday, Licht complimented Collins, on "a masterful performance," the Times noted. "We all know covering Donald Trump is messy and tricky, and it will continue to be messy and tricky," he said. "But it's our job.
"I absolutely, unequivocally believe America was served very well by what we did last night. People woke up and they know what the stakes are in this election in a way that they didn't the day before. And if someone was going to ask tough questions and have that messy conversation, it damn well should be on CNN."
CNN issued a statement to Newsmax praising Collin, saying:
Kaitlan Collins exemplified what it means to be a world-class journalist. She asked tough, fair and revealing questions. And she followed up and fact-checked President Trump in real time to arm voters with crucial information about his positions as he enters the 2024 election as the Republican frontrunner. That is CNN’s role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful to account.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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