CNN Invites Former President Trump for Town Hall

When Chris Licht took over as CNN’s chief executive in 2020, he promised viewers that the news network would not allow guests or panelists to push disinformation, such as election fraud lies. Licht’s statement was aimed at holding CNN guests accountable for their statements.

Former President Trump to Participate in Town Hall

Despite Licht’s promise, CNN will welcome former President Donald Trump to participate in a town hall on Wednesday. Trump has repeatedly made false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. CNN plans to hold Trump accountable for his statements during the town hall.

Unlike spokespeople for Trump who cycle through cable news networks as daily guests, CNN has different standards for the former president. Trump has heavily skewed his media appearances toward Republican-leaning Fox News during his presidency. He did take part in an NBC Town Hall in Oct. 2020.

CNN Stands by Decision

CNN’s decision to invite Trump to participate in a live town hall has raised questions about the network’s commitment to holding guests accountable for their statements. However, a CNN spokesperson stated that the network’s job is to ask tough questions, follow up, and hold Trump accountable to give voters the information they need to sort through their choices.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and board member John Malone have been open about their beliefs that CNN should be less of an “advocacy network” and more of a down-the-middle news network than what they considered it to be during Trump’s years as president.

CNN is taking notes from the NBC Town Hall as it prepares for Trump’s appearance. The CNN Town Hall will be hosted by Kaitlan Collins, who co-anchors CNN’s new morning show. Collins served as CNN’s chief White House correspondent during the Trump administration.

Zaslav believes that all voices should be heard on CNN, regardless of political affiliation. CNN is opting for a live town hall rather than a taped interview with Trump that could then be fact-checked before airing. The live town hall is likely to bring higher ratings to CNN, which has been hemorrhaging viewers amid programming changes.