>> Emily: LIBERAL JOURNALISTS
AND DEMOCRATS ARE BLASTING CNN
FOR GIVING THE VOTERS THE
OPPORTUNITIES HE HEARD FROM A
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.
BUT YOU KNOW THIS FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP SO.
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ SAYS
CNN SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF
THEMSELVES, CREATOR OF THE 1619
PROJECT CALLED IT UNBELIEVABLE.
POLITICAL COMMENTATOR AMANDA
CARPENTER TWEETED "TRUMP DID NOT
DESERVE THIS FORUM."
HE WAS NOT ENTITLED TO A MAJOR
MEDIA NETWORK ROLLING OUT THE
RED CARPET FOR PRIME TIME
EVENT."
THE LIBERAL MEDIA DIDN’T HOLD
BACK EITHER.
WATCH GREAT >> I ALWAYS THOUGHT
TOWN HALLS WERE MEANT FOR US TO
GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATE AND
WHAT THEY STAND FOR.
SO WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS NEW
TOWN HALL THAT HE’S DOING?
>> THAT’S WHEN I AM SO DISGUSTED
BY.
AGAIN, WHEN SOMEONE SHOWS YOU
WHO THEY ARE, YOU BELIEVE THEM.
>> THIS IS NOT JOURNALISM.
THIS IS ENTERTAINMENT.
IN JOURNALISM, YOU ACTUALLY WILL
CONTROL THE QUESTIONS ON THE
ANSWERS.
YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF FILTER.
FOR MISINFORMATION.
>> IT FEELS TO ME LIKE THIS IS A
PRETTY OPEN ATTEMPT BY CNN TO
PUSH ITSELF TO THE RIGHT AND
MAKE ITSELF ATTRACTIVE AND SHOW
ITS BELLY TO MAGA AND
CONSERVATIVES HOPING THEY’LL
TUNE IN.
>> NO SURPRISES AND YET IT WAS A
DISGRACEFUL PERFORMANCE.
IT WAS DISGRACEFUL ON EVERY
LEVEL.
>> SCATHING REBUKES FOR HOSTING
AN OPEN TOWN HALL WHERE THE
FORMER PRESIDENT TOOK AUDIENCE
QUESTIONS AND WAS QUESTIONED BY
CNN’S OWN HOST, CAITLIN COLLINS.
APPARENTLY THE PROBLEM HOWEVER
IS SIMPLY GIVING HIM A
MICROPHONE TO HAVE A
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE GIVE HIS
VIEWS.
>> THIS IS AMAZING.
DONALD TRUMP IS LEADING IN EVERY
SINGLE NATIONAL POLL YOU’LL GET.
DOUBLE-DIGIT’S.
HE IS THE LEADING FRONT RUNNER
FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION
RIGHT NOW.
THE THOUGHT THAT HE WOULDN’T
DESERVE A VOICE IN AMERICAN
POLITICS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH
THESE PEOPLE?
PEOPLE’S PICTURES, THE PEOPLE
WATCHING IN THOSE CLIPS, THEY
EXIST IN AN ECHO CHAMBER OF
D.C., NEW YORK CITY.
WHEN’S THE LAST TIME JOE
SCARBOROUGH WENT TO MISSISSIPPI?
WHEN IS THE LAST TIME JOE
SCARBOROUGH --
MAYBE I’M WRONG.
CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, JOE.
WHEN’S THE LAST TIME YOU TALK TO
REAL AMERICAN VOTERS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
THANKFULLY WE LIVE IN A COUNTRY
WHERE THE PEOPLE DECIDE WHO THE
PRESIDENT IS, NOT THE MEDIA.
HOW SCARY IT IS WHEN
SOCIAL MEDIA, THE FORMER
PRESIDENT WAS BANNED, MEDIA AND
CORPORATE AMERICA COME TOGETHER
TO TRY TO PUSH A SPECIFIC
VIEWPOINT HERE WE START WITH
HUNTER BIDEN.
NOW WE ARE SEEING IT WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
WE SAT WITH STACEY ABRAMS WHEN
SHE’S HAD A BABY DOESN’T HAVE A
HEART BEAT.
THEY COLLUDED TO CHANGE THE
SCIENCE.
IT’S A SCARY TIME WHEN YOU HAVE
MEDIA FOLKS TALKING LIKE THAT
WHEN YOU HAVE A PLATFORM.
>> Emily: GIVEN WHAT KAYLEIGH
JUST SAID, THIS IS SOMEONE WHO
WE WILL LIKELY SEE ON THE DEBATE
STAGE.
THIS IS ECHOED THROUGHOUT THE
LEFT MEDIA’S CONCERNS.
"THE DAILY BEAST" COLUMNIST SAYS
CNN FAILED JOURNALISM.
THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, AND ITS OWN
EMPLOYEES.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT
FAILURE IS IF THE POINT OF
JOURNALISM IS TO REPORT WHAT A
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IS SAYING
TO GIVE FORUM TO AMERICAN VOICES
WHO WERE PRESENT AT THAT TOWN
FORUM.
>> Harris: MAY I ADD ONE MORE
TWEET.
I CAME ACROSS THIS.
JAMELE HILL, SPORTSCASTER,
REALLY GOOD ON ESPN, KIND OF
OUTSPOKEN SO SHE’S NOT THERE
ANYMORE.
HERE’S WHAT SHE TWEETS.
"SEEN AND GOT EXACTLY WHAT IT
WANTED OUT OF THE TRUMP
TOWN HALL, RATINGS, BOWS, AND A
BAD SIGNAL TO CONSERVATIVE
VIEWERS THAT THEIR VIEWS ARE
MORE WELCOME.
IT’S HEARTBREAKING AND
INSTRUCTIVE FOR JOURNALISM AND
DEMOCRACY BUT IT WAS A WIN FOR
THE NETWORK IN EVERY WAY."
I’M NOT DIGGING THROUGH COMMENTS
BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT A COUPLE
OF THEM ECHO THAT.
PEOPLE ON THE LEFT DO FEEL LIKE
THAT WAS JUST TOO MUCH OF A
PLATFORM FOR DONALD TRUMP.
THAT PLATFORM IS DWARFED
COMPARED TO FOX NEWS OR EVEN
SOME OTHERS.
I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY CNN MIGHT
WANT TO STOP THERE BUT MAY BE
THE ALSO WANTED TO GET SOME
OTHER VOICES.
>> Ben: I DON’T THINK SO.
TO BE.
IT COULD BE.
WE COULD THINK POSITIVELY ABOUT
IT.
>> Ben: TGC HOW ANGRY JAKE
TAPPER WAS PURE HERE’S WHAT HE
DID!
>> Harris: CAITLIN COLLINS
LOOKED PRETTY FRUSTRATED AND
ANGRY.
>> Ben: IT WAS A BAD NIGHT FOR
HER.
YOUR JOB IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE
DEBATING THE PERSON ON THE
TOWN HALL.
YOUR JOB IS TO ASK QUESTIONS.
BUT THIS I THINK COMES BACK TO A
BIGGER PLAN FOR 2024 BY
DEMOCRATS.
THIS IS HOW THEY THINK THEY’RE
GOING TO WIN.
PUT SOME OF THE OTHER LIKE
DONALD TRUMP AND THEN YOU GIVE
ALL THE REASONS WHY YOU ARE
JUSTIFIED IN SILENCE AND
CENTERING HIM WHICH IS THAT
EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID LAST TIME.
THIS IS A PREREQUISITE FOR MSNBC
SAYING WE’RE NOT GOING TO DO A
DEBATE WITH DONALD TRUMP.
HE DOESN’T DESERVE IT.
FOR THE RECORD, I DON’T CARE WHO
YOU ARE, IF YOU ARE FORMER
PRESIDENT OF ANY COUNTRY, IT’S
NOT RULING OUT THE RED CARPET IF
SOMEBODY SENDS A TWEET.
HAVE A FORMER PRESIDENT OF ANY
COUNTRY ON TV, PAST NORMAL.
THEY ARE TRYING TO SAY
DONALD TRUMP ISN’T NORMAL.
THEREFORE SILENCE AND CENSOR
HIM.
SHUT HIM UP.
SHUT DOWN DEBATE.
SHUT DOWN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES
IN GENERAL.
PART OF THIS GOES BACK TO A
DEMOCRATS WANT.
THEY DO NOT WANT ANY REPUBLICAN
ON STAGE WITH JOE BIDEN BECAUSE
THEY KNOW IT WOULD DESTROY
JOE BIDEN.
THIS IS THE PREREQUISITE TO GET
YOU THERE SAY THEY DON’T DESERVE
A SAY.
>> Harris: LOOK AT WHAT TRUMP
DID LAST NIGHT.
CAITLIN COLLINS DID HER JOB.
SHE WAS TRYING TO FACT-CHECK.
SHE WAS DOING THOSE THINGS.
SHE GOT FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY.
IT WAS ON DISPLAY.
THEY WENT BACK AND FORTH.
CAN YOU IMAGINE JOE BIDEN DURING
THAT SAME THING WITH SOMEBODY?
>> Emily: GOODNESS NO.
BACK TO THE POINT ABOUT THE
MEDIA, PEOPLE ARGUING THEY
SHOULD NOT HAVE A PLATFORM.
SAINTED JAKE TAPPER, I’M NOT
GOING TO PRETEND LIKE IT WAS
EASY FOR ME TO SEE HIM GET THIS
FORUM TONIGHT.
THAT’S WHAT FACT-CHECKING IS
FOR.
IT IS CERTAIN POINT THE ROLE OF
THE MEDIA IS TO HOST NEUTRALLY
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES VOICE
AND IF YOU HAVE ISSUE WITH
POLICIES PUT FORTH OR FACTS
ARGUED THAT IN FACT-CHECK THEM
AFTER BUT TO CALL THE CONCEPT OF
A TOWNHOME WITH AMERICAN PUBLIC
INTERACTING WITH A FORMER
PRESIDENT AND A PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE, HOW COULD THAT BE A
JOKE?
>> Kaylee: I DON’T THINK
DEMOCRATS ARE NECESSARILY UPSET
THE TRUMP WAS GIVEN A PLATFORM
ON CNN.
I THINK THEY ARE UPSET THAT
DURING THE PLATFORM PEOPLE
CHEERED FOR TRUMP.
UNLIKE WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.
THAT’S THE REAL THREAT HERE
BECAUSE THE ENTIRE POINT OF
CENSORSHIP, THE MOTIVATION
BEHIND IT IS THE IDEA THAT
PEOPLE ARE TOO STUPID TO THINK
FOR THEMSELVES.
TO MAKE THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS
ABOUT WHAT TRUMP HAS TO SAY AND
TO WEIGH IN ON THAT AND I AM
FROM MICHIGAN.
I AM FROM THE MIDWEST AND YOU’RE
RIGHT IT IS A VERY ELITIST
ATTITUDE TO TALK DOWN, TO
MIDWESTERN VOTERS WHO VOTED FOR
TRUMP IN 2016 WHO VOTED FOR HIM
AGAIN IN 2020, WHO MIGHT VOTE
AGAIN FOR HIM IN 2024 AND TELL
THEM NO, ACTUALLY DON’T GET TO
HEAR THE FORMER PRESIDENT.
YOU DON’T GET TO DECIDE FOR