The left wasn’t happy about CNN “platforming” former President and 2024 candidate Donald Trump during Wednesday’s town hall —but CNN CEO Christ Licht stands firmly by the decision.
“We all know covering Donald Trump is messy and tricky, and it will continue to be messy and tricky,” Licht said on a network call. “But it’s our job.”
“I absolutely, unequivocally believe America was served very well by what we did last night,” Mr. Licht added. “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.”
“You do not have to like the former president’s answers, but you can’t say that we didn’t get them,” Licht said, according to the audio provided to The Post.
The liberal blowback for Licht’s decision to host Trump has been severe.
From The New York Post:
“I can’t believe anyone thought this was a good idea,” one staffer told The Washington Post.
Oliver Darcy, the network’s own media reporter, also revealed the hand-wringing immediately after the 70-minute town hall from St. Anselm College in New Hampshire came to an end.
“CNN and new network boss Chris Licht are facing a fury of criticism — both internally and externally over the event,” Darcy wrote in his “Reliable Sources” newsletter.
MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough ripped the rival network on Thursday.
“You can go piece by piece by piece to talk about how breathtakingly dangerous what we saw was last night,” the co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” said.
“This virus of lies that’s been loosened on the American people.”
More over at The New York Post:
CNN boss Chris Licht ‘facing fury of criticism’ within company over Trump town hall https://t.co/hoQ3v143xO pic.twitter.com/AU4GydjTkL
— New York Post (@nypost) May 11, 2023