The Trump campaign continued its vocal criticism of CNN after an incident where campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt was cut off during an interview by CNN anchor Kasie Hunt. Caroline Sunshine, Trump’s campaign deputy communications director, took to the pro-MAGA network Real America’s Voice to express her displeasure, suggesting that gender dynamics influenced the decision to end the interview.
Sunshine stated, “Yes, well, yesterday we watched in real-time as CNN silenced a woman for telling the truth about Jake Tapper. Kasie Hunt is a lightweight. She couldn’t even handle being in the ring for two minutes with my colleague Karoline Leavitt before she so rudely cut her off because the truth is triggering to CNN, isn’t it?”
She went on to draw a parallel between the CNN interview and a legal decision involving President Trump. “The same thing CNN did to Karoline Leavitt yesterday by cutting off her mic really is what the sham Judge Merchan just did by keeping President Trump’s unconstitutional gag order partially in place,” she argued, linking the interruption to broader issues of free speech.
Sunshine defended Leavitt’s remarks about Jake Tapper during the CNN segment, asserting that Leavitt was “just stating the facts.” She elaborated, “She was simply stating the facts and sharing the truth that Jake Tapper has a long-established history of anti-Trump remarks. Jake Tapper has compared President Trump to Adolf Hitler. This is something he said while he was employed at CNN. It’s something he said while he was on the air at CNN.”
Questioning CNN’s journalistic integrity, Sunshine challenged, “Is this something CNN is embarrassed by? Is this something that CNN doesn’t stand by?” She then labeled CNN as “the coward news network,” critiquing its viewership by adding, “The only time they get ratings is when President Trump comes on or anybody from our campaign.”
This episode underscores ongoing tensions between the Trump campaign and mainstream media, particularly CNN, against a backdrop of highly charged political and judicial controversies. The comparison of Trump to Adolf Hitler by Tapper was made in the context of remarks by the former president about immigrants, highlighting the deep divisions and heated rhetoric that continue to characterize the current political landscape.