Posted in: Opinion, streaming, TV, TV, YouTube | Tagged: anderson cooper, Chris Licht, cnn, donald trump, opinion, trump

CNN CEO Licht on Trump Show: You're Welcome, America! Et Tu, Anderson?

I understand why CNN CEO Chris Licht would try to spin Trump's pep rally into something meaningful - but a lecture from Anderson Cooper?!?

The day after CNN hosted a televised pep rally for Donald Trump, the alleged news network continues to face backlash – and rightfully so. But as CNN CEO Chris Licht sees it, we should be thanking him. In an audio recording of the network's Thursday morning editorial call obtained by Deadline Hollywood, Licht can be heard saying, "I absolutely unequivocally believe America was served very well by what we did last night because it laid bare and created, in the words of Joe Scarborough, a 'political earthquake,' and that people woke up and they know what the stakes are in this election in a way that they didn't the day before." Now, I know what you're thinking. Corporate dude. Only cares about ratings and making Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav some sweet green. Talks a good game about "journalism" while turning CNN into a raging dumpster fire of a joke. So that kind of narcissistic blinders-on thinking comes as no surprise. Of course… Licht sees himself as the hero (and gets himself a loyal primetime talking head in Kaitlan Collins, too). But Anderson Cooper?!? To quote Samuel L. Jackson from Jackie Brown: "What the f**k happened to you, man? Sh*t, your ass used to be beautiful!"

Not having much choice but to address the issue, Cooper went from giving every reason in the world why someone like Trump shouldn't be given an hour-plus free advertising time to becoming every faculty member in every university around the world who feels the need to explain "The World" to you even though you really have this strange feeling that they live a life that has many layers between them and the real world. And I write this about a journalist who will always be in my personal hall of fame for his Katrina coverage. But this ain't "Katrina Cooper" anymore… this is "Corporate Cooper."

"Now, many of you think CNN shouldn't have given him any platform to speak, and I understand the anger about that, giving him the audience, the time, I get that. But this is what I also get. The man you were so disturbed to see and hear from last night. That man is the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president. And according to polling, no other Republican is even close. That man you were so upset to hear from last night, he may be president United States in less than two years. And that audience that upset you? That's a sampling of about half the country. They are your family members, your neighbors, and they are voting, and many said they're voting for him," Cooper said at one point in his response. Continuing, "Now, maybe you haven't been paying attention to him since he left office. Maybe you've been enjoying not hearing from him, thinking it cannot happen again, some investigation is going to stop him. Well, it hasn't so far. So if last night showed anything, it showed it can happen again. It is happening again. He hasn't changed, and he is running hard."

Cooper? Licht? Let me make this clear. YOU CHOSE TO GIVE TRUMP OVER AN HOUR OF INFOMERCIAL TIME ON YOUR NETWORK WITH A STACKED AUDIENCE & A QUESTIONABLE MODERATOR. There are a dozen other ways to cover Trump – but those wouldn't be as "sexy" as a town hall. You let Trump set the rules, and he used you in ways you still won't understand until 2024. No one is telling CNN not to cover Trump – you have to. But the format? That's all on you – a shit sandwich that's all yours. And as for the arrogance that CNN somehow "needs to remind us" about Trump? CNN, MSNBC, FOX "News," and a whole bunch of other channels, websites, and social media accounts have kept the dude in our faces every day since 2018. We don't need CNN giving Trump a "variety hour" as a "service" for us "poor, ill-informed folks" out there. We know what a steaming pile of crap Trump is – it's in our faces 24/7. There are no "undecideds" anymore. We know just how shitty Trump's followers are and how they march in line behind anything that he says. So don't use us as an excuse anymore, Licht & Cooper. This is all on you.

Because you gave aid & comfort to "someone who attempted to destroy our democracy" by inviting them "to sit on the stage in front of a crowd of Republican voters to answer questions, and predictably continued to spew lie after lie after lie." And "it was certainly disturbing to hear that audience young and old, our fellow citizens, people who love their kids and go to church, laugh and applaud his lies. And his continued defamation of a woman who, according to a jury of his peers, he sexually abused and defamed." And yet – even after using Cooper's own words just now to make the case why a town hall showcase should've never happened – CNN wants you to know that they did it for you. And you're welcome.

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