The live CNN Town Hall Wednesday night with Donald Trump taking center stage the entire time, was a wild success for “MAGA Republicans” and Trump himself, if the media meltdown following the event the former president clearly dominated demonstrates anything.
Rather than the televised event being an impartial platform for the presidential hopeful to discuss his platform, CNN host Kaitlan Collins tried to take him to task, asking antagonistic questions and interrupting him when he answered. While it was a total disaster for the host, who Trump called a “nasty person” on the show, it was a ratings success for the network in which CNN’s CEO, Chris Licht, celebrated for “making a lot of news.”
“If someone was going to ask tough questions and have that messy conversation, it damn well should be on CNN,” Chris Licht said Thursday, calling moderator Kaitlan Collins as a “rock star.” Licht said he expected to be backlash, which is a good thing since he got that in droves as every leftist media outlet in America lamented the debate their side of the aisle lost last night, while conservative networks celebrated Trump’s performance.
Showing his appreciation for Collins’ “big win,” for CNN, as Licht put it, he’s considering offering the morning anchor the time slot of her former colleague Don Lemon in the network’s primetime lineup as early as next week, which could make her the new face of the network.
After being relegated from a primetime position the previous year, Lemon was situated next to Collins and network anchor Poppy Harlow on “CNN This Morning.”
After 17 years on the job, the network let him go on April 24 due to poor ratings and a string of scandals.
Licht was reportedly eyeing Collins for prime time, according to Dylan Byers of Puck News, hours before Licht’s widely criticized appearance as the moderator of Wednesday’s town hall in New Hampshire, which featured former President Donald Trump and a live audience.
The upcoming promotion would be given regardless of how she fared against Trump on Wednesday, according to Byers’ reporting from that day.
“Kaitlan’s offer is not contingent on her performance at tonight’s town hall, but, given the Trump X-factor, those 90 minutes have the potential to modify, accelerate, or stifle the arc of her career,” Byers said, according to Mediaite.
“At the very least, her performance tonight will set the tone for a new Collins era at CNN, which, barring any f***-ups, will run at least through the 2024 presidential election,” Byers added.
Collins’ behavior throughout the incident has drawn harsh criticism.
The native of Alabama frequently stopped Trump and rehashed previous stories about the 2020 election and the Capitol incursion on January 6.
In her attempts to “fact-check” the former president in real time, she also repeatedly stated a number of lies.
Collins lied about how many miles of border wall was built during his term as well as about Trump’s attempts to send National Guard troops to Washington on January 6.
What @kaitlancollins just said is a LIE.
Christopher Miller said UNDER OATH that President Trump did approve the national guard, and the DC Mayor refused the order.
I’ll have more to say after the Town Hall on CNN.
REMINDER 👇🏿 https://t.co/sWitSXLFq0
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) May 11, 2023
What @kaitlancollins just said is a LIE.
Christopher Miller said UNDER OATH that President Trump did approve the national guard, and the DC Mayor refused the order.
I’ll have more to say after the Town Hall on CNN.
REMINDER 👇🏿 https://t.co/sWitSXLFq0
— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) May 11, 2023
Conservative viewers who might have imagined CNN was attempting to court them under Licht’s supervision won’t likely be won over by her animosity toward Trump.
Many on the left, however, were incensed that the network gave Trump a platform and vented their rage at Collins for losing control of the situation.
But Licht indicated during a conference call on Thursday morning that Collins had made an impression on him, according to former network host Brian Stelter:
"You do not have to like the former president's answers, but you can't say that we didn't get them," Licht tells staffers, many of whom are angry about the town hall. "Kaitlan pressed him again and again and made news. Made a LOT of news." And "that is our job."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 11, 2023
