Trump Forum a Big Test for CNN, Moderator Kaitlan Collins

NEW YORK, NY (AP) - Donald Trump's CNN town hall forum is the first big television event in the presidential campaign of 2024. It will be a huge test for the moderator chosen by CNN. Kaitlan Collins.

Last week, both sides of the political spectrum expressed suspicion at the announcement that a CNN forum would be held at New Hampshire’s St. Anselm College. Democrats wonder whether the former President should get airtime while Republicans question if the network Trump has disparaged for years can be fair.

Collins will need to decide when to let audience members ask questions and when to answer her own. She will consider how to correct misinformation within a hostile environment. Town hall participants who are invited to the event are expected to vote in a Republican Primary.

Frank Sesno is a former CNN Washington Bureau Chief and now teaches at George Washington University. We're going see if Kaitlan deserves to be in the Olympics.

CNN has not made Collins available for a talk prior to the event scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Collins' status is reflected in the fact that she was assigned to a network where there are many experienced political journalists, including Dana Bash and Jake Tapper. She began her career at The Daily Caller - a conservative website founded by Tucker Carlson - before taking on occasional guest appearances for CNN.

She covered the Trump White House, and in 2021 she became CNN's White House correspondent. She moved to New York in late 2017 for a role as a cohost on CNN This Morning. The 31-year old Collins may be auditioning for a primetime role at CNN.

Maggie Haberman is a New York Times reporter and author of a Trump biography called Confidence Man. She was a formidable White House reporter, always calm and fact-focused, yet she is also an incredibly fair person.

Collins has had some run-ins at the Trump White House. In 2018, she was banned from attending a Rose Garden party after the Trump team became upset about her shouted question in the Oval Office the previous day.

She has done fact-checks on the spot as a morning host. She told Republican Senator Rick Scott from Florida that he was wrong when he claimed about President Joe Biden's spending on Medicare and he appeared on CNN This Morning.

Alyssa Griffin, formerly on Trump's communication team, and now a panelist for 'The View', tweeted that Collins is 'one of the most difficult interviews'. Watch her previous interviews if you think Trump can get away with lying and not be called out. He agreed, and I was genuinely surprised.

It's remarkable that this is Trump's first CNN interview since he became president in 2016. Since announcing that he would be running for president in 2024, Trump has mainly been doing television interviews with conservative outlets.

Trump repeatedly attacked CNN during his presidency as 'fake' news. CNN's reputation with Republicans has sunk. Although the new management of the network is trying to find a more middle-ground political, there's still a long way to go among Trump's supporters.

Paula Bonyard, a columnist for conservative PJ Media, wrote: 'It is obvious to anyone with a half-brain that Trump will not get a fair shake by CNN.' Why does he continue to prostrate himself in front of these dishonest, left-wing media hackers?

Unnamed Trump adviser who spoke under condition of anonymity and was not authorized by the White House to speak publicly, claimed that CNN executives had made an impressive pitch to former President. The adviser noted that Trump's success in 2016 was due to his willingness to step outside of the Republicans' comfort zone.

Many Trump opponents think that a man, who continued to spread falsehoods about fraud after losing the 2020 presidential election to Biden, doesn't deserve prime time exposure.

The deep suspicions stem from CNN's coverage of Trump rallies in the run-up to the 2016 elections, which gave the network a boost in ratings and gave Trump disproportionate airtime.

Chris Hayes, MSNBC's host of his show that will compete directly with Trump on Tuesday, said: 'I find the decision to give him a platform to speak live, difficult to justify, no matter what it's dressed up as.'

CNN said that the forum was part of its long-standing tradition to host candidate interviews and events. The network stated that Trump's popularity among Republican voters cannot be ignored, given his standing in the polls.

This is also a reflection on the new leadership of the network and the management's attempts to rebuild trust in the brand as a nonpartisan media outlet. In order to achieve this, the current CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht made it his goal to expand the network's audience and reduce tensions with Republicans. He has also met with both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Collins was selected as moderator partly because she is a rising star, and partially because of her experience in covering Trump. She will be onstage with a team on producers and fact-checkers on Wednesday, giving her advice via an earpiece.

Sesno suggested that CNN make it clear in advance promotions that the event is a free-for-all where any question can be asked to the former president. The network's ad is a simple preview.

Sesno stated that he could not imagine CNN or New Hampshire Republicans giving him a pass. But if they do it, shame on them.