Former President Donald Trump responded to on-air comments made by CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday, in which the anchor demanded the network cut footage of Trump’s event that showed enthusiastic supporters.
During CNN’s broadcast, Tapper asked staffers to cut footage of Trump meeting with supporters in Florida, coming minutes after the former president pleaded not guilty to federal charges connected to a case investigating whether he allegedly mishandled classified documents. Tapper at one point said that he did not want to “see any more of that,” referring to Trump’s interactions with supporters at the Versailles Cuban restaurant in Miami.
On social media, Trump reacted swiftly and critically. The former president suggested Tapper’s remarks are a reason why CNN is lagging in ratings.
“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 good news is, he was the only one to do so, perhaps a good explanation as to why CNN’s ratings are so low!” Trump wrote Truth Social, his platform.
Trump supporters were wishing the former president a happy birthday and continued to cheer in the background of CNN’s coverage. Tapper was heard saying: “The folks in the control room, I don’t need to see any more of that. He’s trying to turn this into a spectacle, a campaign ad. That’s enough of that.”
The CNN anchor then stated that Trump was arrested on federal charges connected to his alleged mishandling of classified records relating to national security.
“And as we watch Donald Trump attempt to turn his arrest and indictment into some sort of campaign commercial, we need to remember that the reason we are watching this is because Donald Trump is accused of breaking some very serious national security laws and then obstructing and refusing to cooperate with the FBI,” he said.
However, while Trump highlighted Tapper’s on-air comments, left-wing MSNBC anchor Nicole Wallace also called on staffers to cut the feed showing Trump at the Miami restaurant. “We don’t need to see that anymore. We know where he is,” she remarked Tuesday.
Both CNN and MSNBC also did not air the former president’s speech on Tuesday night at his Bedminster, New Jersey, residence, according to Tapper and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, respectively.
“We’re not carrying his remarks live because, frankly, he says a lot of things that are not true and sometimes potentially dangerous,” Tapper told CNN viewers during his program.
