CNN anchor Jake Tapper refused to air a Donald Trump speech, saying the former president's remarks are "potentially dangerous" just one month after CNN aired a town hall with Trump that garnered massive viewership.
Tapper stated Tuesday that CNN would not air the speech in its entirety because the former president "says a lot of things that are not true and sometimes potentially dangerous," Mediaite reported. The speech began with Trump criticizing charges against him for mishandling classified documents, leading Tapper to call Trump's remarks "untrue and unfounded" and accuse him of trying to "undo an election."
After being arraigned at a Miami courthouse, Trump went to a nearby Cuban restaurant to mingle with locals, an event that CNN filmed. The former president's supporters sang him "happy birthday," a scene that one CNN commentator called a "spectacle." After some criticism of Trump, Tapper refused to pan back to the restaurant, telling CNN's control room that "I don't need to see any more of that. He's trying to turn it into a spectacle, into a campaign ad. That's enough of that. We've seen it already."
Trump shot back at Tapper on Truth Social. "Fake Tapper just demanded that his broadcast be closed down from Miami because there was far too much enthusiasm on the streets for 'Trump,'" the former president wrote. "The good news is, he was the only one to do so, perhaps a good explanation as to why CNN’s ratings are so low!"
CNN's ratings have plummeted since Trump left the White House, the Washington Free Beacon has reported. The media have a complicated relationship with the former president. While mainstream networks are heavily critical of Trump, covering him boosts their ratings, which skyrocketed for the CNN town hall and during his prior arraignment in April.