CNN boss Chris Licht told Donald Trump to 'have a good conversation, have fun' ... trends now
CNN CEO Chris Licht encouraged former President Donald Trump to 'have fun' in an exchange of words backstage before the start of Wednesday night's televised town hall event.
Trump promised Licht that he would boost CNN's ratings, to which Licht is said to have nodded before telling him to have 'a good conversation and have fun,' according to several eyewitness present at the broadcast at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, reports The Guardian.
Trump's promise rang true with the Republican front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination drawing in 3.3 million viewers - securing the cable network's highest viewing figures in the past two years.
In 70 minutes of tense sparring with Cooper's CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins, Trump called January 6 a 'beautiful day,' wouldn't say whether he wanted Ukraine or Russia to win the war and branded Collins a 'nasty person' for pressing him on why he took so long to recover classified documents from Mar-a-Lago.
Trump also dug in on calling the 2020 election 'rigged' and said the ending of Title 42 will be a 'day of infamy,' defended his actions on January 6 and gave his views on the war in Ukraine.
CNN CEO Chris Licht exchanged words with former President Donald Trump backstage encouraging him to 'enjoy himself' prior to his town hall appearance
In 70 minutes of tense sparring with Cooper's CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins , Trump called January 6 a 'beautiful day', wouldn't say whether he wanted Ukraine or Russia to win the war and branded Collins a 'nasty person'
Trump later took to his Truth Social to celebrate the 'sky high ratings' he delivered describing his performance as 'sheer brilliance.'
He wrote: 'I believe it was a very smart thing that they did, with Sky High Ratings that they haven't seen in a very long time. It was by far the biggest Show of the night, the week, and the month! Many minds were changed on Wednesday night by listening to Common Sense, and sheer 'Brilliance.'
Licht has faced criticism from both within CNN and outside of the network for organizing the event which saw Trump dominate the proceedings.
Media reporter for the network, Oliver Darcy, penned in his newsletter how it was 'hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN'.
As with almost everything Trump, his appearance was in his own self-interest, namelyto generate campaign material that could be used on his social media
CNN boss Chris Licht, left, took over last year and vowed to cleanse the network of its bias. He has been slammed for giving Trump a platform. On Friday night, it was revealed how Darcy along with his editor were summoned to a meeting with Licht who told him his coverage of the Trump town hall had been 'too emotional'
On Friday night, it was revealed how Darcy along with his editor were summoned to a meeting with Licht and other top executives in which they told him his coverage of the Trump town hall had been 'too emotional', stressing the importance of remaining dispassionate.
Some unnamed employees told outlets like Rolling Stone that it was a 'f*****g disgrace', so intense was their disgust with Licht and the decision.
Despite the controversy, Licht has defended his decision to host the town hall in an editorial meeting with his staff emphasizing the importance of obtaining Trump's answers, even if they were not liked by everyone.
Licht dismissed suggestions that moderator Kaitlan Collins did not challenge Trump vigorously enough on his claims about the 'rigged' 2020 election.
'You do not have to like the former president's answers, but you can't say that we didn't get them,' Licht said in audio obtained by the New York Post as he laid down the law with staff.
'While we all may have been uncomfortable hearing people clapping, that was also an important part of the story because the people in that audience represent a large swath of America.
'The mistake the media made in the past is ignoring that those people exist just like you cannot ignore that President Trump exists,' Licht said.
'I absolutely unequivocally believe America was served very well by what we did last night.'
Licht also acknowledged Collins' efforts who attempted to fact check the former president in real time. 'Kaitlan pressed him again and again and made news,'he stated.
Collins, who co-anchors CNN This Morning, also supported Licht's decision to host the Trump town hall. She also temporarily filled in as the host of the network's 9pm slot on Thursday.
Collins described the 70-minute town hall as 'a major inflection point in the Republican Party's search for its nominee,' reminding viewers to how Trump 'is right now the GOP front-runner' despite being 'criminally indicted, found civilly liable and [being] under investigation for everything from his handling of classified documents to his business empire.'
Trump had previously mentioned on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he agreed to the town hall because CNN offered him an irresistible deal. His campaign team saw the entire event as essentially a one-hour long Trump informercial, reports The Guardian.
Anderson Cooper said comments made by Donald Trump during the Republican presidential town hall meeting on Wednesday were
