The Trump campaign criticized CNN on Monday for abruptly ending an interview with Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
CNN’s Kasie Hunt, a former MSNBC host, suddenly ended the interview when Leavitt highlighted CNN’s Jake Tapper’s long history of criticizing former President Donald Trump. Tapper is co-hosting Thursday’s first presidential 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 in a statement obtained by Truth Voices.
“Yet President Trump is still willing to go into this 3-1 fight to bring his winning message to the American people, and he will win,” she added.
After the segment, Hunt posted on X that she cut Leavitt off because she allegedly did not show respect to Tapper, someone who perpetrated the Russia collusion hoax and refused to cover Trump live due to “potentially dangerous” content.
“You come on my show, you respect my colleagues. Period,” Hunt said. “I don’t care what side of the aisle you stand on, as my track record clearly shows.”
Below are 11 times Tapper attacked Trump with nasty claims:
- Suggested Trump was a nightmare: “For tens of millions of our fellow Americans, their long national nightmare is over.”
- Claimed Trump “continues to lie to the American people” about coronavirus testing.
- Retweeted a post that called Trump “100% insane.”
- Shamed Trump upon being hospitalized for the coronavirus.
- Described Trump’s presidency as a “disaster.”
- Reported twice on Trump’s penis.
- Questioned the 2016 election by perpetrating the Russia collusion hoax.
- Suggested Trump tried to kill democracy.
- Ordered CNN’s control room not to cover Trump live.
- Claimed Trump was a “rather angry defendant, saying there’s no case here.”
- Refused to cover Trump live due to “potentially dangerous” content.
Though the debate’s rules favor Biden — as the Biden camp reportedly acknowledges — voters will watch to see if Biden provides cogent answers about the top issues of soaring costs and seemingly endless migration, a Reuters focus group indicated.
Thursday’s 90-minute debate will air at 9:00 p.m.
