CNN anchor Jake Tapper appeared irritated as he told the cable network’s producers to stop airing live footage of former President Donald Trump being feted by supporters at a Cuban restaurant in Miami hours after he was arraigned on federal charges over his handling of classified documents.
“I don’t need to see any more of that,” a peeved Tapper said on the air while anchoring CNN’s live coverage of the aftermath of Trump’s appearance in federal court in South Florida on Tuesday.
Tapper was reacting to live shots of Trump being surrounded by supporters who sang “Happy Birthday” to the former president, who turned 77 on Wednesday.
“He’s trying to turn it into a spectacle and into a campaign ad. That is enough of that. We’ve seen it already.”
CNN cut the live Miami broadcast short — just a week after Chris Licht quit as CNN boss following, among other barbs, fierce criticism of his decision to air a controversial live town hall with Trump.
The May 10 event in New Hampshire, which was moderated by anchor Kaitlan Collins, ignited widespread criticism of CNN, which was accused of giving the former president a platform to repeat election fraud claims as well as criticisms of a columnist who sued him after claiming he raped her.
Observers said that Collins was “steamrolled” by Trump, whose broadsides ignited applause and cheers among his supporters who were in the studio audience.
The town hall was one of many grievances that CNN employees harbored against their now-former boss, Licht, who resigned earlier this month following a disastrous magazine profile of him which portrayed him as thin-skinned, paranoid, and isolated from his employees who were alienated by his aloof manner.
During the Trump presidency, CNN touted its adversarial stance toward the 45th president.
But under new corporate parent Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN has been given a mandate to ditch left-leaning commentary in favor of more down-the-middle coverage.
The footage of Tapper’s comment was posted on Twitter by Justin Baragona, a media reporter for The Daily Beast.
Trump made what looked to be a campaign stop at Versailles, a well-known Cuban restaurant in Little Havana that is known as a frequent stumping location for Republican candidates.
Despite his legal troubles, Trump remains the odds-on favorite to win the GOP nomination for the presidency in 2024.
Baragona also posted a clip of Nicolle Wallace, the host of MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House,” telling her own producers to stop the live feed of Trump’s appearance at Versailles.
“That’s the picture over your brilliant words, we don’t need to see that anymore, we know where he is,” Wallace said as she convened a panel to discuss the indictment and Trump’s not guilty plea.
Tapper also said on the air on Tuesday that CNN would not cover Trump’s speech from his residence in Bedminster, N.J. due to “potentially dangerous” content.
“Of course, I just want to note he begins this clip we’re about to show you by making unfounded claims about the charges against him,” Tapper said before playing clips of the speech.
“Untrue and unfounded claims about the charges against him, and the people he thinks are behind it. So I just want to preface it by saying that.”
In the speech, Trump blasted Jack Smith, the special counsel who decided to file the 37-count indictment against the former president, as a “deranged lunatic,” a “thug,” and a “raging and uncontrolled Trump hater.”
The Post has sought comment from CNN.
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
