CNN has been sunk by a CNN train wreck and Trump’s triumph.
This is what people have said about the town hall held by the former president on Wednesday evening.
Donald Trump used his time in the spotlight to continue spreading misinformation about the 2020 election, praising the January 6 rioters who attempted an insurrection at the Capitol, and mocking the woman a jury just ordered him to pay $3 million to for defamation.
“That election was rigged.” And it’s a shame that we had to go through,” Trump declared, as CNN moderator Kaitlyn Collins attempted to push back against his claims.
Trump turned his back on Collins when she demanded a response from the Republican nominee about classified documents that were discovered in Mar-a-Lago at Trump’s Palm Beach Estate.
“Hold on. Are you prepared? What can I say to you? What do you think? Trump replied, “It is very simple.” He then managed to avoid giving a full response by saying to Collins: “You are a nasty person.”
Then came the praise for the rioters, who Trump said were “proud” and there “with love in their heart.”
“That was unbelieveable. Trump added that it was an absolutely beautiful day. He then noted that he would pardon most of the rioters who have been convicted on federal charges if he were to be elected president for a second term.
He also started of the night by mocking E. Jean Carroll, just 24 hours after a jury awarded her $5 million in damages for sexual assault and defamation.
He said that he had no idea who Carroll is, and he mocked Carroll for “playing Hanky Panky” in the dressing room.
“That was disgusting, I felt horrible for E. Jean and I felt horrible for honestly anybody who has been a victim of sexual assault,” Trump’s former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham tells Inside Edition.
She says that she mostly watched the townhall in dismay.
“I don’t think anybody was surprised last night at what they saw,” Grisham says. “I thought that the audience enjoyed him very much, but I don’t believe that he got any more votes from that town hall.”
CNN anchors Anderson Cooper and Jake Taper expressed their disappointment in the show. The segment aired after the incident.
The ratings were impressive, with 3.1 Million viewers. That is five times more than the network normally averages in that timeslot.