Former President Donald Trump previewed his Wednesday night town hall event with CNN by contending the network is “rightfully desperate” to get ratings up again.
“I’ll be doing CNN tomorrow night, LIVE from the Great State of New Hampshire, because they are rightfully desperate to get those fantastic (TRUMP!) ratings once again,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday, previewing the event.
The former president said CNN “made me a deal I couldn’t refuse” and pondered if this could mark the beginning of a “New & Vibrant CNN.”
“Could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me. Let’s see what happens? Wednesday Night at 8:00!!!” Trump teased:
According to CNN, Trump has not appeared on the network since the 2016 election. That all changes Wednesday night, when Trump will appear in the Granite State in the town hall event moderated by CNN’s Kaitlin Collins.
The event will feature a live audience and Trump is expected to take questions from audience members.
The town hall comes over years of a contentious relationship with the network and its personalities. In 2017, for example, Trump famously dismissed CNN’s Jim Acosta, calling him “fake news.”
Through the years, Trump has consistently identified establishment news outlets — from the New York Times to CNN — as “fake news” as they touted debunked narratives — from Trump-Russia collusion to the promotion of two failed impeachment attempts.
However, many speculate that Trump’s decision to appear on CNN demonstrates the former president focusing on a broader general election strategy, using these outlets to speak to as many voters as possible.
“I think he believes he’s got the ability that if he can talk to people, he can persuade them,” Republican fundraiser Ron Gidwitz said, according to Politico.
Meanwhile, a recent survey from the Economist/ YouGov showed CNN, along with MSNBC, having the lowest net trust score among Republicans, specifically.
This will not be Trump’s first run-in with Collins, either, as the two sparred during his first term.
In 2020, Collins smugly criticized Trump after a video showed the president taking off a face mask on an outdoor balcony — a time when masks were heavily pushed by the government due to coronavirus pandemic panic.
“But what the president is portraying by taking his mask off when he gets back to the Truman balcony to give this grand return to the White House is that everything is fine, and, as he said, don’t let coronavirus control your life,” Collins said of Trump, who had the illness at the time.
Trump’s campaign hit Collins back, posting a video showcasing Collins’ own hypocrisy, taking off her mask when cameras were off:
The town hall is slated to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern.
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