A month after showcasing former President Donald Trump at a televised town hall, CNN doesn’t want him anywhere near a camera.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper made a point of shutting down footage of fans singing “Happy Birthday” to Mr. Trump at a Cuban restaurant in Miami shortly after he pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of mishandling classified documents.
“The folks in the control room, I don’t need to see any more of that,” said Mr. Tapper. “He’s trying to turn it into a spectacle, into a campaign ad. That’s enough of that. We’ve seen it already.”
Hours later, Mr. Tapper said that the network would not air Mr. Trump’s speech at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
“We do have some of the sound,” Mr. Tapper said. “We’re not carrying his remarks live because frankly he says a lot of things that are not true and sometimes potentially dangerous.”
Mr. Tapper issued another warning before playing a clip, accusing Mr. Trump of “making unfounded claims about the charges against him.”
“Untrue and unfounded claims about the charges against him, and the people he thinks are behind it,” Mr. Tapper said. “So I just want to preface it by saying that.”
Jake Tapper on CNN not covering Donald Trump’s speech: “We’re not carrying his remarks live because frankly he says a lot of things that are not true and sometimes potentially dangerous.”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 14, 2023
The Trump-muzzling comes with CNN reverting to form after the exit of CEO Chris Licht, who was credited during his one-year tenure with trying to move the left-tilting network to the center. He was sent packing earlier this month after failing to resuscitate the network’s sagging ratings and amid reports of staff revolt.
It was a similar story at MSNBC, where anchor Nicolle Wallace also asked the crew to cut away from the scene of Mr. Trump being cheered in Little Havana, saying, “We don’t need to see that anymore. We know where he is.”
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow explained to viewers that network officials had decided against airing Mr. Trump’s post-arraignment speech, citing “what we fully expect in advance to be a litany of lies and false accusations.”
The difference is that MSNBC has made no secret of its hard-left bent, while CNN has sought to portray itself as an objective, “Facts First” news organization.
The swing by CNN from highlighting to hiding Mr. Trump did not go unnoticed by media critics or conservatives.
“Jake Tapper Says CNN Won’t Cover ‘Potentially Dangerous’ Trump Speech — One Month After Network Held Town Hall for Him,” said a headline in Mediaite, adding that the town hall was a “ratings success.”
Conservative pundit Mollie Hemingway tweeted: “Jake Tapper, Russia collusion liar and propagandist, loses it over American people not accepting the ruling party’s attempt to turn Trump into a political prisoner.”
Said conservative media critic Joe Concha: “Tapper pushed Trump-Russia collusion as fact for three years. Here, he piously scolds the control room for showing Trump post-Miami indictment live with supporters. You want to [know] why Chris Licht was pushed out from within at CNN? Exhibit A right here.”
Mr. Trump also blasted CNN’s refusal to air the Trump-friendly images.
“Fake Tapper just demanded that his broadcast be closed down from Miami because there was far too much enthusiasm on the streets for ‘Trump.’ The good news is, he was the only one to do so, perhaps a good explanation as to why CNN’s ratings are so low!” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, turned 77 on Wednesday.
