Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav defended CNN’s controversial decision to host an upcoming live town hall forum with former President Donald Trump.
“America has a divided government. We need to hear both voices”, Zaslav said CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Friday.
He continued: “Republicans are on the air on CNN, Democrats are on the air. … When we do politics, we need to represent both sides. I think it’s important for the United States.”
The town hall, which will take place on May 10 in New Hampshire at 9 pm ET, will include a question-and-answer session with Republicans and voters that will be moderated by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. The event follows the start of Trump’s reelection and marks his first town hall-style event of the 2024 presidential campaign.
town hall news sparked controversy for multiple reasons. First, the former president is well known for spreading disinformation, including repeated false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He is not a normal candidate either, as he is currently indicted for alleged hush money payments and faces multiple potential criminal investigations related to his efforts to nullify the 2020 election and incite an attack on Congress, as well as his refusal to hand over classified documents after leaving the White House. He is currently also facing a civil trial for rape.
AND critics have argued that CNN is doing what it did during the 2016 campaign, when Trump received uninterrupted television coverage from CNN and other networks that amounted to billions of dollars free advertising value.
And then there are the clashes that Trump has had with the network.
According to the Associated PressTrump never gave an interview to CNN reporters during his presidency and repeatedly denounced the outlet as “fake news” and an “enemy of the people.” A Trump adviser told the AP that the success of his 2016 campaign depended on Republicans sticking to traditional comfort zones when it comes to media appearances.
But Trump ended his boycott of CNN and agreed to participate in the live town hall, a decision that likely meant to draw a contrast with his most anticipated Republican opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has steered clear of mainstream media appearances while in office, AP reports.
“(Trump is) the favorite, he has to be in our network. We are happy that he is coming there,” Zaslav told CNBC.
Zaslav added that “this is a new CNN,” referring to Discovery’s acquisition of the network following a fusion with Warner Bros. in April 2022. Following the merger, Chris Licht, former executive producer and showrunner of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” took over from Jeff Zucker as CNN CEO.
during a interview with CNBC In October, Licht said that he wants CNN to present views from both sides of the political divide, but that he will not tolerate misinformation.
“The analogy I love to use is that some people like rain, others don’t like rain. We should give space to that. But we won’t have someone come and say it’s not raining,” Licht told CNBC.
Trump’s appearance on CNN will test Licht’s promise.
The town hall will be televised live, rather than airing a prerecorded interview with Trump, an option that could be more secure, so his statements could be verified beforehand. But the network says it intends to “hold you accountable” throughout the event.
“President Trump is the leading Republican candidate and our job, despite his unique circumstances, is to do what we do best,” a CNN spokesperson said. told CNBC on Friday. “Ask the tough questions, follow up, and hold yourself accountable for giving voters the information they need to rank their options.”
