CNN abruptly ended an interview with Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt on Monday, just days before the network is scheduled to host the first presidential debate between 45th President Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Anchor Kasie Hunt terminated the interview shortly after questioning Leavitt about Trump’s debate strategy.
“President Trump is well prepared ahead of Thursday’s debates. Unlike Joe Biden, he doesn’t have to hide away and have his advisors tell him what to say. President Trump knows what he wants to say,” Leavitt began.
Leavitt went on to characterize the debate stage as a potentially hostile environment for Trump, criticizing CNN’s debate moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash for biased coverage.
“That’s why President Trump is knowingly going into a hostile environment on this very network on CNN with debate moderators who have made their opinions about him very well-known over the past eight years in their biased coverage of him,” she said.
Hunt responded by defending her colleagues as professionals and played clips of Trump’s past comments about moderators.
When Leavitt attempted to defend herself by stating she was citing facts from CNN colleagues, Hunt interrupted, saying, “Ma’am, we’re going to stop right there if you’re going to keep attacking my colleagues. I would like to talk about Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who you work for.”
Moments later, Hunt abruptly ended the interview, stating, “I’m sorry guys … Karoline thank you very much for your time. You’re welcome to come back at any time.”
Hunt later defended her decision, stating, “You come on my show, you respect my colleagues. Period. I don’t care what side of the aisle you stand on, as my track record clearly shows.”
In response, Leavitt argued that CNN’s actions validated their belief that Trump would not receive fair treatment in the upcoming debate.
“CNN cutting off my microphone for bringing up a debate moderator’s history of anti-Trump lies just proves our point that President Trump will not be treated fairly in Thursday’s debate,” Leavitt said.
The incident unfolded ahead of Thursday’s CNN-hosted debate, a highly anticipated rematch from the 2020 election, moderated by Tapper and Bash.
Their HISTORY does speak for itself. Unfortunately, too many rely on ONLY CNN or MS-NBC for their biased information. If FULL clips were able to be shown… yes, Trump is lax with his thumbs and fingers, however, we know he is a New Yorker… they are a bit brash. He is, what he is, and has NEVER hidden that. When I had a business I took advantage of the tax laws also. One would be a fool not to. Some employers like Trump create thousands of jobs. Yes, Trump has wealth, but he went into office with it, he didn’t go in penniless and come out an uber millionaire. His enemies have made it a point to ruin him because they know he is capable of PUTTING AMERICANS FIRST, not foreign leaders who pad their personal pockets with BORROWED dollars. The next congressional millionaire in the making (who complained she would not be able to afford DC rent) is the 34-year-old congresswoman who lives a high-profile life—attending the Met Gala and driving a Tesla—but she also has college loans and little savings.
By Kyle Mullins, Forbes Staff:
OnMay 6, the Met Gala will once again attract celebrities, the ultra-wealthy and, yes, even politicians hoping to rub elbows with the right people. One officeholder who probably won’t be there, though: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who in 2021 caused a media frenzy when she attended wearing a white dress proclaiming, in bold red, “Tax The Rich.” The dress ultimately sparked a congressional investigation that found she may have broken ethics rules by failing to promptly pay for renting the dress as well as hair and makeup services. Ocasio-Cortez denies wrongdoing, and the matter is now before the House Ethics Committee.
The dress also raised eyebrows about its message calling on the rich to pay their fair share. Ocasio-Cortez, a self-identified democratic socialist, was plenty comfortable calling on the mega-wealthy in attendance to send more to Uncle Sam—but it probably helps that she’s just not that rich herself. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kylemullins/2024/05/03/no-aoc-isnt-rich-yet-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/#:~:text=Forbes%20estimates%20that%20the%2034-year-old%2C%20who%20often%20goes,of%20Congress%2C%20not%20to%20mention%20Met%20Gala%20guests. Yet it’s only a matter of time before she joins the millionaire club.