The future of CNN post-Trump town hall, Mike Pence's cowardly interview
The David Pakman Show - May 12, 2023
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What happens to CNN after insane Trump town hall?
The recent CNN town hall with former President Donald Trump has sparked a media debate about how mainstream networks should cover him. Members of CNN’s staff have expressed that the coverage was not appropriate, given the audience was mostly Trump supporters and fact-checking was difficult. CNN's new leadership has previously stated they don't want to be a 24/7 Trump news network, but there are concerns they may try to appeal to disaffected Fox News viewers by becoming more friendly towards the former president. The town hall did not seem to change Trump supporters' opinion of him, and it’s hard to imagine Trump attracting any new followers from this appearance. The question remains whether CNN will shift its coverage of Trump over the next 18 months and how this will impact the network's reputation as a reasonably responsible journalistic outlet.
Pence reacts: Trump didn't sexually assault anyone in front of me
In a recent MSNBC interview, Former Vice President Mike Pence gave a weak reaction to Donald Trump being held liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Referring to the alleged sexual misconduct, Pence said, “In my four and a half years serving alongside the president, I never heard or witnessed behavior of that nature.” The ex-vice president is suggesting that because he never saw Trump sexually assault anybody, he must not have done it. Pence also commented on whether the American people will be influenced by the verdict, stating that he doesn't believe they will care, as they are focused on other issues such as the economy and world events. Pence is clearly trying to appear palatable to the MAGA crowd in case he decides to run for president. However, this seems like a fool’s errand, because the Trump supporters will always prefer Trump and many of them detest Pence for refusing to go along with the plan to hijack the 2020 election.
From yesterday’s show:
CNN Trump town hall a total disgrace, pushes journalism's collapse
The recent CNN town hall with Donald Trump has garnered a great deal of criticism from the left. Partially this is because it’s not clear why this event was needed a year before the primary and with Trump having no significant challengers in the race yet. Given CNN was going to host the town hall, the best they could do was hold Trump accountable and the network even failed at that. Kaitlan Collins, the moderator, was unable to control Trump's behavior or the sycophantic crowd's reactions. Although Collins tried to fact-check Trump to some extent, the situation was doomed to fail given the uncontrollable nature of the town hall. Trump spent much of the time spreading dangerous and corrosive lies about American democracy and making fun of sexual assault victim E. Jean Carroll, with the crowd cheering and laughing along. The town hall was done primarily for ratings and ultimately did not serve America or voters in any meaningful way.
From yesterday’s show:
Mitt Romney responds CORRECTLY to George Santos arrest
In response to the recent criminal charges against Representative George Santos, Senator Mitt Romney has called for Santos's immediate resignation, stating that he should have stepped down from his position a long time ago. Romney was asked by a reporter what he thinks about the arrest and he responded, “He should have resigned a long time ago. He's an embarrassment to our party. He's an embarrassment to United States Congress.” While some Republicans have called for Santos’s resignation following the charges, Romney is one of the few voices on the right who have called out Santos directly, rather than waiting until it reaches a breaking point. If Romney was still the standard-bearer of the Republican Party like he was in 2012, the country would be in a much better position and could be taken quite a bit more seriously.
More on the show:
-- Caller wonders if Donald Trump could bring an end to the Republican Party
-- Caller talks about the right's obsession with trans people
-- Caller asks if Donald Trump would try to stay in power for longer than a term
-- Caller discusses how Republican leadership will respond to the charges against George Santos
-- Caller talks about being against religion
-- The Friday Feedback segment
-- On the Bonus Show: Jordan Neely killer charged with manslaughter, Elon Musk finds replacement Twitter CEO, and much more...
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