Trump destroyed CNN. But CNN still won
Ian Haworth
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Donald Trump destroyed CNN. At least, that’s what his campaign team will take away from last night’s town hall event, hosted by Trump-certified “nasty person” Kaitlan Collins.
Now, it must be said that the former president had several fantastic moments.
LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR INDEPENDENT MEDIA
His response to the Biden-induced inflation crisis — “drill, baby, drill” — clearly and succinctly rejected the Democratic Party’s voluntary destruction of the American economy.
His refusal to publicly take sides regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine — reframing the objective as ending mass death — demonstrated his instinct for restrained and careful foreign policy.
And yes, it would be a lie to say that witnessing his calm and trademark destruction of the legacy media on several occasions, including the moment when he presented a printout of his social media communications surrounding the Jan. 6 riots, wasn’t hugely entertaining.
But was this a total victory for Trump? Well, it depends on what the goal was.
Let’s not forget: This event was presented by CNN as a Republican primary town hall, with potential Trump voters in attendance. But the questions posed by CNN’s Collins explored topics far from the forefront of the average Republican or independent voter’s mind.
These topics included classified documents, Georgia elections, Jan. 6, the absurd partisan antics of New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and the accusations of rape and sexual assault made by E. Jean Carroll.
While these are arguably important topics, some more than others, the focus of a Republican town hall would surely have spent more time on illegal immigration, the federal response to COVID-19, or gun rights.
But CNN controlled the camera, and that’s why the town hall was a win for CNN too.
First, whether you like it or not, Trump is a ratings machine. By inviting Trump to participate in a live event, CNN was obviously looking to bolster its dwindling viewership rate. Trump is a master of media, guarantees ratings, and has a hunger for attention that can be exploited.
Second, and more worryingly, CNN wants Trump to be the Republican nominee. Not because it wants him to win the presidency, but because it wants him to lose.
Like 2016, there’s a reason the entire legacy media will work to elevate Trump as the face of the Republican Party and American conservatism: They think he’s the easiest to beat. And unlike 2016, they have a winning strategy to beat Trump: remind as many people as possible why they didn’t vote for him last time.
While many are pointing to a gleeful Democratic Party that will be frantically churning out clips of the town hall event to attack Trump, they’re missing the actual danger.
During his town hall event, Trump essentially allowed CNN to frame his candidacy.
Rather than presenting nothing but a relentless anti-Biden platform that looks to address the issues that actually matter to voters, such as the economy, illegal immigration, and law and order, CNN framed Trump in the context of Jan. 6, rape allegations, and the exhausting aftermath of the 2020 election.
Moving forward, if Trump wants to win the general election in 2024, and not just the GOP primary, he has to wrestle back control of his own narrative.
Clicks might feel good on Twitter today, but the pain of another Biden presidency will torture Americans for years.
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Ian Haworth (@ighaworth) is the host of Off Limits with Ian Haworth.