CNN praises Trump town hall host despite event’s failure.

CNN’s Dumpster Fire Town Hall with Trump

Commentary by C. Douglas Golden

Last week, CNN hosted a town hall with former President Donald Trump, promising to “fact-check Trump in real time.” However, the event turned into a dumpster fire, with moderator Kaitlan Collins failing to hold Trump accountable for his statements. Despite this, CNN’s brass has stood by their position that Collins did a great job.

While the event did bring in 3.3 million viewers, it was a victory that came at a cost. Dumpster fires may burn brightly and attract attention, but they also leave behind damage. And in this case, the damage was the failure to hold a former president accountable for his actions.

Trump left the event feeling triumphant, regardless of whether the “fact-checking in real time” failed or if Collins was simply trying to pick a fight with him. The event showed that Trump was still in top form, and the network still called Collins a “world-class journalist” despite her failure to hold Trump accountable.

Did Collins Do a Good Job?

Many Twitter users criticized Collins for making the event all about herself, rather than the audience or Trump’s responses. Meanwhile, left-leaning figures portrayed Collins as a victim thrown to the wolves by CNN management. However, Trump’s tweets leading up to and on the day of Jan. 6, 2021, were factually accurate, and CNN failed to hold him accountable for his actions.

Some of the loudest calls decrying what happened at the town hall came from inside CNN’s own house, with Oliver Darcy publishing a piece the day after the event criticizing the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN. Anderson Cooper also had an on-air meltdown, apologizing to CNN viewers for covering real news and not just being a safe space for lefty rage.

Overall, the event was bear-baiting at its finest and had little to do with the issues concerning voters going into 2024. While CNN may call it “world-class journalism,” it was a failure to hold a former president accountable for his actions.

Key Takeaways:

• CNN’s town hall with Trump was a dumpster fire, with moderator Kaitlan Collins failing to hold Trump accountable for his statements.
• Despite this, CNN’s brass has stood by their position that Collins did a great job.
• Trump left the event feeling triumphant, and the event showed that he was still in top form.
• Some of the loudest calls decrying what happened at the town hall came from inside CNN’s own house.
• The event was bear-baiting at its finest and had little to do with the issues concerning voters going into 2024.