Analysis: CNN faces heavy criticism after Trump unleashes a firehose of lies during his live town hall

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Editor’s note: (A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Sign up here to receive the daily digest chronicling the changing media landscape.)

(CNN) It’s hard to see how America was served by the show of lies that aired on CNN Wednesday night.

Kaitlan Collins is as tough and competent an interviewer as can be. She fact-checked Trump throughout the 70-minute town hall. Time and time again she told him that the election was not stolen. That it wasn’t faked. That there was no proof of the lies he was spreading on stage.

“The election was not rigged, Mr. President,” Collins told Trump at one point during the event. “You can’t keep saying that all night.”

Yet he did. Trump frequently ignored or talked about Collins throughout the evening as he unleashed a firehose of misinformation on the country, which a sizable portion of the GOP continues to believe. A professional lie machine, Trump spun lies at a quick clip while using his bluster to overwhelm Collins, stealing command of the stage at select locations in City Hall.

Trump lied about the 2020 election. He took no responsibility for the Jan. 6 insurrection that those very lies instigated. And he mocked E’s sexual assault allegations. Jean Carroll, for whom a jury found him responsible on Tuesday.

And CNN aired it all. And so on. It was like 2016 all over again. It was Trump’s lopsided social media feed that came to life on stage. And Collins was put in an awkward position, given that the town hall took place before a Republican audience who cheered Trump, giving an unintended sense of approval to his shameful antics.

Yes, news has been made. City Hall stressed his insistence on continuing to peddle lies for the 2020 election. Additionally, he said the United States would have to default on its debt if the White House does not agree to Republican spending cuts, a declined to say whether he wanted Ukraine or Russia to win the war and declined to give a direct answer on abortion.

But for most of the night, the eyes of the nation have been fixed on Trump’s abuse of the platform given to him. At one point, he even insulted Collins, calling her a “mean person”, to which the crowd of Republican primary voters in New Hampshire erupted in cheers.

“We don’t have enough time to verify all the lies he told,” host Jake Tapper said candidly after the event ended.

Trump’s team was, understandably, delighted with the outcome, according to reports. “Trump’s advisers are excited to see how things are going so far for him,” NYT’s Jonathan Swan reported. “They can’t believe he spends an hour on CNN with an audience that applauds his every line and laughs at his every joke.”

Nobody else either.

While Collins receives much praise for her relentless fact-checking on the former president, she was faced with an impossible task. CNN and new network boss Chris Licht are facing a furor of both internal and external criticism over the event.

How Licht and other CNN executives respond to criticism in the days and weeks ahead will be crucial. Will they defend what happened at Saint Anselme College? Or will they express regret?

For now, CNN is defending itself.

“Tonight, Kaitlan Collins exemplified what it means to be a world-class journalist. She asked tough, fair and revealing questions,” a network spokesperson said. “And she’s been tracking and fact-checking President Trump in real time to provide voters with crucial information about his positions as he enters the 2024 election as a Republican frontrunner.”

“That’s CNN’s role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful to account.”

The sidebar

“The foreseeable disaster [CNN] City Hall was indeed disastrous,” TV vet Mark Lukasiewicz tweeted. “Proof again: live lying works. A friendly MAGA crowd is constantly laughing, applauding Trump’s punchlines – including the sexual assault and Jan. 6 – and the moderator can’t begin to keep up with the AR-15’s lies.” (Twitter)

“This thing was madness, total madness,” Bill Carter said. “Like handing Drunk Uncle a mic and saying go ahead!” (Twitter)

“This is CNN’s lowest moment as an organization,” said James Fallows. (Twitter)

“This is the 2024 Republican presidential primary,” wrote Brian Stelter. “Look away if you want, but that’s how it’s going to be. Should the news outlets sanitize it or stare it in the face?” (Twitter)

At this point: “I have complaints, but I don’t really blame CNN for having a town hall with the GOP favorite,” Sarah Longwell explained. “It’s good to know what we’re up against. We can’t hide from the fight ahead of us. Trump is probably going to be the candidate and we have to be clear-headed about what we’re dealing with.” (Twitter)

“It was a glimpse of what American journalism can expect from a 2024 campaign featuring Mr. Trump, who despite his ubiquity in politics has rarely appeared on mainstream television outside of Fox News since ‘he left office,’ wrote Michael Grynbaum. (NYT)

Justin Baragona said CNN is walking away from town hall “with a lot of eggs” on his face. “At the same time, I feel like Kaitlan Collins is doing the best she can in this situation,” he added. (Twitter)

“Chris Licht said he wouldn’t allow anyone on his network to say it’s raining when it’s not raining,” Sherman said. “But he let someone through who says it’s raining when it’s not raining, and he added hundreds of people to cheer when he does.” (Twitter)

“Trump appeared to have a significant home field advantage over Collins,” wrote Jeremy Barr. (Wapo)

“Accessories for [Collins] who was in an impossible position but did a heroic job fact-checking Trump all over town hall,” Peter Baker tweeted. “Not an easy task considering how many things are factually untrue he said in such a short time.” (Twitter)

“Even in a world where [Collins] was correcting all of Trump’s lies as they spewed out and we’re far enough away from that world where the bawling mob would make Trump look like the winner,” Chait said. (Twitter)

“It wasn’t Kaitlin Collins’ fault,” Charlie Sykes said. “The format was impossible and CNN bosses should have known that.” (Twitter)

“This format programmed her and the country to fail,” echoed Tom Nichols. (Twitter)

“It’s not [Collins’] fault (she does her best), but it is a gushing geyser of misinformation that cannot be verified in real time,” Dan Pfeiffer added. (Twitter)

Democratic politicians were livid: “CNN should be ashamed of themselves,” said Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (Twitter)

Seung Min Kim reported that Air Force One’s TVs, which “are still” tuned to CNN, have been changed to show MSNBC during the town hall. (Twitter)

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