Trump 2024 press secretary Karoline Leavitt, a day after having her interview stopped on CNN for saying network anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, who will be moderating Thursday's presidential debate, are biased against former President Donald Trump, told Newsmax Tuesday that the incident proves the campaign's point about the network.
"Our point has been proven, which is that Jake Tapper and Dana Bash are not veteran journalists," Leavitt told Newsmax's "Wake Up America," responding to a statement issued by CNN that pointed out the two have more than five decades of journalism experience combined in addition to extensive experience modering debates.
"They are not unbiased litigators of facts," Leavitt insisted. "No, they are anti-Trump, activists and they both have a long history of anti-Trump statements that the world now knows about, because CNN couldn't take the truth yesterday, censored me, kicked me off their program."
Tapper has made comments through the years about former President Donald Trump, she added, "such as comparing President Trump to Adolf Hitler many times, which is disgusting and egregious."
Monday, CNN's Kasie Hunt ended Leavitt's appearance on "CNN This Morning" after the Trump spokeswoman said Thursday night's debate will be moderated by Tapper and Bash, "who have made their opinions about him very well-known over the past eight years in their biased coverage of him."
"Our point has been proven that President Trump is knowingly walking into a hostile three-on-one debate on Thursday night," Leavitt said Tuesday. "But he's doing that to deliver on his promise to debate Joe Biden anytime, anywhere, any place, and he is going to win this debate on Thursday. "
Leavitt added that the debate is moving forward because Trump was consistent in challenging Biden.
"You remember on the Howard Stern radio show, he was asked, Will you debate Trump? And he said, yes. That was against the will of his own advisers," said Leavitt.
Meanwhile, Biden "feels most comfortable on a stage at CNN," but "that's okay with President Trump," she said.
"That's okay with us because President Trump has such a strong record from his first term in office," she said. "He has such an aspirational vision to make this country great again in another four years."
Trump also "engages in hostile media interviews all the time," said Leavitt. "Yes, this is hostile territory for President Trump, but it's not unfamiliar territory."
Trump is also focused on the issues and well-prepared to square off against Biden, she insisted.
"This debate, no matter what, is going to serve as an opportunity for the American people to see their two choices on the ballot on Nov. 5 … this is going to be a great opportunity for President Trump to highlight his strength with Joe Biden's weakness, and that will be proven on Thursday night."
Meanwhile, CNN has "doubled down" on defending its talent, said Leavitt.
"Kasie Hunt herself put out a tweet yesterday defending herself, saying that, you know, she will always protect her colleagues from attacks," said Leavitt.
But she insisted that she was not attacking Dash and Tapper, but "repeating statements that they have made on the air."
"It's honestly insulting, I think, to CNN's audience and to the American public that they still try to pretend they're the most trusted name in news," said Leavitt. "They have been an anti-Trump institution for the past eight years. They have pushed, pushed some of the most egregious lies that have taken place in this country."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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