Anderson Cooper says Trump’s town hall on CNN was ‘disturbing’ but defends giving him a platform

Anderson Cooper said Donald Trump’s comments during his CNN town hall Wednesday night were “disturbing,” but he defended the network’s decision to give him a platform.

During the opening monologue of his CNN show Anderson Cooper 360 on Thursday, Cooper told viewers that he won’t “leave” if he doesn’t listen to Trump.

“You have every right to be outraged and angry and never look at this network again, but do you think that person will go away if you stay in your silo and only listen to people you agree with?” he said.

In 70 minutes of exciting sparring with Cooper’s CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins, Trump covered topics such as the Second Amendment, abortion, inflation and the debt ceiling.

That appearance on CNN — his first since 2016 — spawned a series of controversial moments, many of which Cooper handled head-on.

Cooper addressed many of Trump’s comments during the 70 Minute standoff with his CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins and defended the network’s decision to host him

“Many of you are angry that someone who tried to destroy our democracy was invited to sit on a podium in front of a crowd of Republican voters to answer questions and, predictably, continued to spew lie after lie after lie, and I do you understand. It was disturbing,” Cooper began.

“Many of you think CNN shouldn’t have given him a platform to speak and I understand the anger about that — giving him the audience, the time, I understand that,” he added.

‘But this is what I get too; the man you were so disturbed to see and hear about last night — that man is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president,” he said.

Cooper then lectured his viewers on the importance of keeping an open mind and listening to those they disagree with.

“If we all listen only to those we agree with, it could do just the opposite [of making Trump go away]. If lies are allowed to go unchecked, as imperfect as our ability to check them on stage is in real time, those lies will go on and those lies will be spread.”

He spoke at City Hall about several “disturbing” moments, including when Collins was labeled an “annoying person” for pushing Trump to get answers.

He also noted a moment when Trump viciously called a black law enforcement official involved in the January 6 riots a “thug.”

“It was disturbing to see and hear that person call a black law enforcement officer a felon, an adjective he often used to describe black men, and Kaitlan Collins, the moderator, called “nasty,” which is what he calls every woman . who stands up to him,” Cooper said.

Despite his distaste for Donald Trump, Cooper suggested the likelihood that Trump will be the next president was too great to ignore

Trump, 76, lost his temper with Collins, 31, when she pressed him for why he had classified documents at his Palm Beach home, calling her an “annoying person.”

When Collins asked if the jury’s decision in the E. Jean Carroll case would stop women from voting for him, Trump said, “No, I don’t think so.”

Cooper also mentioned the largely pro-Trump audience, which applauded many of Trump’s comments, including the way he mocked E. Jean Carroll just 24 hours after a jury found he had sexually assaulted her.

It was certainly disturbing to hear the public, young and old, our fellow citizens, people who love their children and go to church, laughing and applauding his lies and his constant insult to a woman whom a jury of his co-workers sexually abused. and slandered,” Cooper said.

“That crowd that upset you? That’s a sample of about half the country. It’s your relatives, your neighbors and they vote and many said they vote for him.’

Despite his distaste for Trump, Cooper suggested the likelihood of him returning to the White House was too great to ignore.

According to polls, no other Republican comes close. That man you were so upset about last night could be president of the United States in less than two years,” he said. It can happen again, it can happen again. He hasn’t changed and he’s running fast.’

On Wednesday, Trump also dug in by calling the 2020 election “rigged,” said the end of Title 42 will be a “day of infamy,” defended his Jan. 6 actions and expressed his views on the war in Ukraine.

Cooper also called those comments “disturbing.

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“It was disturbing to hear him speak so highly of QAnon conspirators and insurgents who attacked police officers and our democracy on January 6. And it was horrible to hear him spread ridiculous lies about the election,” he said.