CNN has faced a torrent of criticism from liberal commentators and Biden loyalists following the network’s town hall forum between President Biden and former President Trump. While the moderators, Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, received praise for their performance from bipartisan voices, several Biden supporters voiced their outrage at the president’s performance, directing their ire towards the moderators and the network itself.
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann led the charge, calling for CNN to be “burned down.” He blasted the network’s decision not to “fact-check” former President Trump, labeling it one of the most “immoral decisions” in the history of American journalism. Olbermann went so far as to call for CNN Worldwide CEO Sir Mark Thompson to fire Bash and Tapper for what he termed “journalistic malpractice.”
Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Biden campaign surrogate, echoed the criticism, telling CNN anchor John Berman that he believed the network could have done a better job at calling out Trump’s lies. While admitting that Biden had a rough night, Shapiro maintained that Biden’s performance was less egregious than Trump’s presidency.
Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., a staunch critic of Trump who served as Democratic counsel during his impeachment, also criticized CNN, claiming that the network failed to push back against Trump’s mischaracterizations of his presidency. Goldman told CNN anchor Anderson Cooper that Trump “intimidated” the network.
Adding to the chorus of disapproval, former Playboy White House correspondent Brian Karem, known for his outspokenness during Trump’s presidency, slammed the moderators for failing to moderate the debate, calling it a “complete abdication of journalistic responsibility.”
Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former top advisor-turned-critic of Melania Trump, took aim at CNN’s lighting choices during the debate, claiming that the network’s framing and lighting conveyed “intended perceptions of fragility vs. dominance.” Wolkoff argued that the lighting design made Biden appear “pale as a ghost” while Trump was illuminated in a way that made him appear less orange.
Liberal actor John Cusack echoed the sentiment, claiming on X that CNN was allowing a “deranged liar lie with no consequences” and that this was “the end, my beautiful friends.”
In response to the criticism, CNN issued a statement highlighting the bipartisan praise received by its moderators, including quotes from Republicans, Democrats, and Fox News personalities Sean Hannity and Charlie Gasparino. The network defended its debate production, asserting that the moderators’ role is to present important questions to the candidates and to facilitate a debate. CNN maintained that it offered robust fact-checking coverage after the debate, both on TV and across its digital platforms.
