Despite cautioning that his town hall event with CNN "could turn into a disaster for all, including me," former President Trump celebrated the event on social media, arguing it presented him with an opportunity to change minds.
“People are criticizing CNN for giving me a Forum to tell the TRUTH. I believe it was a very smart thing that they did, with Sky High Ratings that they haven’t seen in a very long time,” Trump said on Truth Social. “It was by far the biggest Show of the night, the week, and the month!”
Referencing a New York Times article about CNN Chairman Chris Licht's response to criticism of the town hall, Trump continued: “The Radical Left screamed, ‘Take it down, take it down,’ during the Show, because they saw that I was making so many important points on the Border, Energy Independence, the Afghanistan Catastrophe, Inflation, the Economy, Russia/Ukraine, and so much more. Many minds were changed on Wednesday night by listening to Common Sense, and sheer ‘Brilliance.’”
Licht issued a strong defense on Thursday of the town hall.
“We all know covering Donald Trump is messy and tricky, and it will continue to be messy and tricky, but it’s our job,” Licht said.
“I absolutely, unequivocally believe America was served very well by what we did last night,” he added. “People woke up, and they know what the stakes are in this election in a way that they didn’t the day before. And if someone was going to ask tough questions and have that messy conversation, it damn well should be on CNN.”
The town hall event, moderated by Kaitlan Collins, was a ratings boon for the network, drawing 3.3 million viewers on Wednesday evening, Nielsen Media Research data showed. That's over three times the ratings CNN has received in the past few weeks, according to The Hill.