Howard Stern described Donald Trump’s contentious town hall on CNN as a captivating spectacle and proposed that the struggling cable network organize similar events with other Republican presidential contenders.
According to The New York Post, The Howard Stern Show host expressed his fascination with the town hall, noting the audience’s laughter and support for Trump despite the controversy surrounding his appearance. While acknowledging that Trump’s detractors likely disliked him even more after the event, Stern emphasized the adoration of his fans, which made the May 10 town hall an intriguing watch.
“I’m pretty sure anybody who didn’t like Trump hated him even more after that,” he added, though Trump’s “fans love him,” which Stern said made the May 10th town hall “an interesting thing to watch,” he said.
Stern then suggested that CNN provide a platform for other potential GOP nominees in the 2024 election, specifically mentioning Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, and Nikki Haley. However, Stern did criticize CNN for featuring a live audience composed of New Hampshire Republicans and undecided voters.
“I thought it was really weird when they were laughing at the woman who just won a sexual assault case. I thought that was really f–king strange,” Stern said, referencing a Manhattan jury’s May 9 decision — just 24 hours before the town hall event — that the former president is liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
During the town hall, Trump reiterated conspiracy theories, such as the claim that the 2020 election was rigged, and presented evidence to support his defense against allegations that his response to the January 6 events encouraged the insurrection.
Even CNN’s long-standing anchor, Anderson Cooper, criticized the network for selecting Trump-supporting voters to comprise the live audience. Cooper emphasized that these audience members represented a substantial portion of the country, including family members, neighbors, and active voters.
Cooper also referred to Carroll’s lawsuit, expressing his dismay at the audience’s laughter and applause in response to Trump’s lies and continued defamation of a woman who, according to a jury, was sexually abused and defamed by Trump.
