Last night, CNN hosted former President Donald Trump for a New Hampshire town hall event.
Moderated by Kaitlan Collins, Trump and the CNN This Morning host clashed over his suggestion that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and rigged against him. Trump ultimately called Collins “a nasty person” for her relentless fact-checking of his statements.
At times, the crowd roared with approval at statements made by Trump, including that his polling numbers actually increased earlier this week after he was found liable for damages of $5 million after writer E. Jean Carroll accused him of sexual assault and defamation.
Reaction to the event was mixed — generally along political lines — with some calling it a massive win for Trump, while others lamented CNN giving the former president a platform.
Many of the reactions centered upon the job the 31-year-old Collins did moderating the Town Hall. She received praise from some, and harsh criticism from others. It was the first of many times viewers are likely to see her in primetime, as reports surfaced before the event that CNN CEO Chris Licht has extended an offer to Collins to host the 9:00 PM ET timeslot on the network as part of a contract extension.
A report claimed CNN ultimately cut the event short. While the broadcast of the event was originally scheduled to be an hour and 15 minutes, the agreement between CNN and Trump’s team was for a 60-minute session.
