During a recent commencement address at Columbia Journalism School, CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour publicly criticized her own network for organizing a town-hall event with Donald Trump. Amanpour expressed her disagreement with CEO Chris Licht, who had faced backlash for approving and defending the decision to hold the event.
According to The Guardian, Amanpour pointed out that Trump tends to take over and control discussions, which makes it hard for moderators to push back effectively. She said she would have ended the talk after Trump insulted the CNN moderator, Kaitlan Collins, by calling her a “nasty person.”
Despite criticism, Licht defended his decision, saying that the town hall helped viewers see how important the 2024 presidential election is.
“No matter how much flak the moderator tries to aim at the incoming, it doesn’t often work. I would have dropped the mic at ‘nasty person’, but then that’s me,” she said.
At the event, Donald Trump called CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins a “nasty person.” This caused Republican voters in the audience to applaud and added to the energetic atmosphere. Despite the ongoing legal investigations into Trump’s alleged election subversion and incitement of the January 6 attack on Congress, Chris Licht, the CEO, has continued to support broadcasting the town hall.
According to Licht, broadcasting these events reminds viewers of the high stakes involved in the 2024 presidential election. It is worth noting that Trump has recently faced legal consequences for sexual assault and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll. Despite this, he still remains the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.
“I can only hope that your trust in us might have been shaken but not shattered,” said Amanpour. “That you believe we can survive and rebuild that trust.”
Amanpour is the first CNN anchor to publicly express her disagreement with the decision to host Trump, although other employees have also criticized the broadcast. In his Reliable Sources newsletter, reporter Oliver Darcy criticized his employer the morning after the town hall.
