Boycott CNN Calls Grow Over Donald Trump Town Hall: 'Shameful'

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Calls to boycott CNN have intensified after the media company said that Donald Trump will be joining the news network's prime-time town hall on Wednesday night. This is only a day after the former president was found liable by a New York jury for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll.

In a written statement to Newsweek addressing the anger sparked by the town hall event, CNN wrote: "President Trump is the Republican frontrunner, and our job despite his unique circumstances is to do what we do best. Ask tough questions, follow up, and hold him accountable to give voters the information they need to sort through their choices. That is our role and our responsibility."

Back in 2019, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, Carroll said Trump raped her in the dressing room of a New York department store in 1996. The Republican denied any wrongdoing, calling Carroll a "liar"—an accusation that led the writer to sue the former president for defamation.

On Tuesday, Carroll's civil trial closed, with a jury finding the former president liable for sexually abusing Carroll—though it did not find that Trump raped her, as Carroll alleged. The court ordered him to pay $5 million in damages. The case did not involve criminal charges.

Donald Trump
A photo of Donald Trump in a red baseball cap during a round of golf at his Turnberry course on May 2, 2023 in Turnberry, Scotland. Calls to boycott CNN have grown after the news... Robert Perry/Getty Images

Just over 24 hours after the verdict, downplayed by both the former president and his supporters, Trump will appear at CNN's town hall at 8 p.m. ET at Saint Anselm College, Goffstown, in New Hampshire. His attendance was first announced on May 1, before the verdict on Carroll's case was reached by the New York jury.

In New Hampshire, Trump will take questions from Republican voters in the early-voting state attending the event, as fielded by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.

Trump's appearance at the company's town hall event will be the first that the former president has made on CNN in years. Trump routinely chastised CNN reporters during his presidency, once refusing to take a question from Jim Acosta while calling him "fake news." Collins was banned from attending a press event at the White House in 2018 after asking Trump about the so-called Michael Cohen tapes.

But many have criticized CNN's decision to offer a platform to the former president. "CNN has decided to treat Defendant Trump like a typical Republican, just a candidate for President," wrote one Twitter user. "They will normalize his criminality, be a mouthpiece for Fascism for ratings. Shameful."

"BOYCOTT CNN. They should have Liz Cheney instead of giving IT a platform!" wrote another Twitter user after sharing Trump's comment announcing his presence at the event. "CNN is hosting a sexual predator and seditionist tomorrow night," tweeted another calling for a boycott of the channel.

"Today's verdict puts a whole new spin on Trump's town hall. Shame on CNN for giving this dangerously unhinged sexual predator a voice," tweeted another Twitter user on Tuesday after the New York civil-case verdict.

But while criticism of CNN has grown as the town hall event approaches, some have spoken in defense of the channel. Investigative journalist Brian Krassenstein tweeted that, while respecting "peoples' right to boycott whatever and whoever the heck they want," Trump is still the GOP lead candidate for 2024. He added that CNN "should be used to show Americans both sides of the picture."

In his tweet, Krassenstein added: "To attack a news organization for questioning a former president, who wants to be president again, in a town hall setting, is simply insane in my opinion. Americans are smart enough to listen to his answers and make their own decision. They don't need news organizations deciding what they should or should not see."

He wrote: "Information is never bad. If Trump lies, CNN can call him out. Everything doesn't have to involve outrage and boycotts."

Trump himself has appeared ambivalent about his attendance to the event. "Could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me," the former president wrote about the event on his social-media platform Truth Social. "Let's see what happens?"

Update, 5/11/2023 3:10 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a statement from CNN.

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About the writer

Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property insurance market, local and national politics. She has previously extensively covered U.S. and European politics. Giulia joined Newsweek in 2022 from CGTN Europe and had previously worked at the European Central Bank. She is a graduate in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and International Relations from Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy. She speaks English, Italian, and a little French and Spanish. You can get in touch with Giulia by emailing: g.carbonaro@newsweek.com.

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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on the U.S. economy, housing market, property ... Read more