Geraldo Rivera Pays The Price After Criticizing Trump At Town Hall
Left-leaning media personality and Fox News contributor Geraldo Rivera faced additional criticism on social media for a post in which he criticized a segment of the CNN town hall featuring former President Donald Trump.
CNN's rising star Kaitlan Collins, co-host of the morning show, served as the moderator for the event. Rivera's critique of Trump stemmed from a comment made by Trump about Collins during the town hall when she challenged one of his statements.
Trump responded by calling Collins “a nasty person,” which elicited laughter and applause from the largely supportive audience in New Hampshire.
Rivera took to Twitter to express his dismay at Trump's name-calling of Collins, stating, “I’ve supported President Trump over the years, even after I vowed not to support him following January 6th. But when he called Kaitlan Collins ‘nasty,’ I was appalled. It was so unmanly.”
I’ve liked President Trump over the decades through thick and thin, even after I pledged never again to support him after January 6th.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) May 12, 2023
But when he called Kaitlan Collins “nasty”
I felt like spitting. It was so unmanly.
Rivera's tweet prompted reactions from several Twitter users.
I’ve liked President Trump over the decades through thick and thin, even after I pledged never again to support him after January 6th.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) May 12, 2023
But when he called Kaitlan Collins “nasty”
I felt like spitting. It was so unmanly.
I’ve liked President Trump over the decades through thick and thin, even after I pledged never again to support him after January 6th.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) May 12, 2023
But when he called Kaitlan Collins “nasty”
I felt like spitting. It was so unmanly.
I’ve liked President Trump over the decades through thick and thin, even after I pledged never again to support him after January 6th.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) May 12, 2023
But when he called Kaitlan Collins “nasty”
I felt like spitting. It was so unmanly.
Meanwhile, Collins, 31, is set to take over CNN's 9 PM ET primetime slot, previously held by Chris Cuomo before his departure. CNN CEO Chris Licht was preparing to announce this after the town hall.
CNN's move came amid criticisms of the Trump event being "disastrous."
A CNN spokesperson defended Collins' promotion, stating to Mediaite, “Tonight, Kaitlan Collins exemplified what it means to be a world-class journalist. She asked tough, fair, and revealing questions and fact-checked President Trump in real time to inform voters about his positions as he enters the 2024 election as the Republican frontrunner. That is CNN’s role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful accountable.”
However, some left-wing critics slammed CNN for hosting Trump as the 2024 election campaign heats up.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized CNN in a tweet, saying, “CNN should be ashamed of themselves. They have lost control of this ‘town hall,’ allowing it to be manipulated to platform election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and an attack on a sexual abuse victim. This was a choice to platform lies with no plan but to let their moderator be interrupted without consequences.”
Despite the controversy, the town hall was a ratings success for CNN, surpassing three million viewers, more than three times the usual prime-time audience, according to The Hill.
Responding to CNN's invitation to appear on his Truth Social platform, Trump defended the event's success, stating, “People are criticizing CNN for giving me a forum to tell the truth. It was a smart move, with sky-high ratings they haven’t seen in a long time. The Radical Left screamed, 'Take it down,' during the show, because I was making important points. Many minds were changed by listening to common sense and sheer brilliance.”