Just days before the highly anticipated presidential debate, CNN’s interview with former President Donald Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt came to an unexpected halt on Monday — an exchange critics said is a preview of the unfairness expected from CNN during the upcoming presidential debate later this week.
The interview, conducted by anchor Kasie Hunt, began with a question about Trump’s debate strategy.
Leavitt pointed out that the CNN hosts who will host the debate have spent years comparing Trump to Nazi Germany leader Adolf Hitler.
“President Trump is well prepared ahead of Thursday’s debates,” Leavitt said. “Unlike Joe Biden, he doesn’t have to hide away and have his advisors tell him what to say. President Trump knows what he wants to say.”
“That’s why President Trump is knowingly going into a hostile environment on this very network on CNN with debate moderators who have made their opinions about him very well-known over the past eight years in their biased coverage of him,” she said.
Hunt rushed to defend her fellow CNN anchors, calling them “professionals.”
When Leavitt attempted to continue, saying she was “stating facts that your colleagues have said in the past,” Hunt interupted multiple times.
“Ma’am, we’re going to stop right there if you’re going to keep attacking my colleagues,” Hunt declared. “I would like to talk about Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who you work for.”
Hunt then pulled the plug completely.
“I’m sorry guys … Karoline thank you very much for your time. You’re welcome to come back at any time. She is welcome to come back and speak about Donald Trump. Donald Trump will have equal time to Joe Biden when they both join us … later this week in Atlanta for this debate,” Hunt said, shutting off the Trump spokeswoman’s microphone.
Later, Hunt defended her decision to halt the interview on social media, writing, “You come on my show, you respect my colleagues. Period. I don’t care what side of the aisle you stand on, as my track record clearly shows.”
In response to the incident, Leavitt blasted Hunt.
“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,” she declared.
“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.”
The controversy unfolds as CNN prepares to host the 90-minute presidential debate on Thursday, featuring Trump and Biden, with Jake Tapper and Dana Bash as moderators.
Here are @jaketapper & @DanaBashCNN, the two CNN debate “moderators,” comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. CNN cut off @kleavittnh this morning for rightly pointing out their bias and that they had done this before: pic.twitter.com/dIEvcVCXZk
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) June 24, 2024
BREAKING: CNN host @kasie CUTS OFF Trump spokeswoman @kleavittnh the second she brings up Jake Tapper spending years comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler
This is a preview of how CNN will act during the debate pic.twitter.com/BS4LWjvCz4
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 24, 2024