Former President Donald Trump will sit down with CNN for a town hall event in New Hampshire next week, the network announced Monday.
Trump, who has often criticized CNN for being “fake news,” will make his first appearance on the network since 2016.
CNN’s Caitlan Collins will. Moderate ceremony on May 10 at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire. The town hall will air on the network at 9:00 p.m. EST.
Trump’s CNN appearance is part of a plan to push his messaging to a wider audience. Politics.
As Politics detailed:
The former president and his staff have re-engaged the mainstream press corps after largely shunning them. He is in talks with several other notable outlets, including NBC. He has also invited an array of reporters from mainstream outlets to fly with him to campaign events in his plane.
Those close to the former president believe that by giving interviews and access to mainstream outlets, he can broaden Trump’s message — and create a contrast with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. , who are seen as largely reticent to mainstream outlets when giving interviews. Conservative.
However, Trump’s CNN appearance is also a clear shot at Fox News, the conservative cable news outlet that recently parted ways with Tucker Carlson.
Last month, the Republican National Committee announced that Fox News would host the first Republican presidential primary debate, catching Trump off guard.
Trump Posted Last week on Truth Social:
I see that everyone is talking about the Republican debates, but no one got my approval, or the Trump campaign’s approval, before they were announced. When you’re rolling with seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have angry networks, TRUMP and MAGA-hating anchors asking “questions”, why expose yourself to vilification and abuse? Also, the second debate is taking place at the Reagan Library, whose chairman, ironically, is Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan. no!
Trump has not attended a town hall event since late 2020 when he sat down with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie.