- Donald Trump said he was “surprised” that CNN staff were “traumatized” by his appearance at City Hall.
- CNN staffers were horrified by the station’s 70-minute look at City Hall, insiders reported.
- Trump told The Messenger that CNN should have ignored the backlash and instead boasted about its ratings.
Former President Donald Trump said he was ‘surprised’ that CNN staff were ‘traumatized’ by his controversial town hall appearance last week, as media giants boasted of the high ratings the event brought. He said he was “surprised” that he didn’t.
President Trump: ‘They were really traumatized’ told the news outlet Messenger. said in an extensive interview published Monday.
“Instead of acting like that, I think they should have said, ‘We had the best-watched night in years,’ and pumped up football,” Trump added. According to messenger.
Insiders previously reported that CNN staff were horrified watching the station’s 70-minute Town Hall event last Wednesday. At the event, President Trump drew laughter from the studio when he branded anchor Kaitlan Collins a “asshole” and mocked a woman a jury found him guilty of sexual abuse. audience.
“People glorifying sexual abuse comments definitely made me question my loyalty to this network,” one network executive previously told Insider.
President Trump also told Messenger that he was “surprised by the level of hostility” he received at City Hall.
The 2024 Republican presidential nominee said, “They thought they were neutral and more than that they could win back their audience.” “and they had the best [viewership] A few days out of several years. “
Trump continued, “And I’m surprised they didn’t actually say they had a very high ratings night. It’s a real surprise to me.”
CNN Town Hall with President Trump drew 3.3 million viewers, according to Nielsen, matching the number of viewers for Tucker Carlson’s highest-rated show before he left Fox News. .