Former President Donald Trump apologized to fired CNN CEO Chris Licht, who Trump praised for hosting a town hall for the left-leaning network’s GOP presidential candidates.
On Saturday (June 10), during the North Carolina GOP convention, Trump relayed how “everything was beautiful, and [CNN] got tremendous numbers,” despite this, Licht was fired.
“Mr. Licht, sorry about that,” Trump continued, “I’d like to apologize to Mr. Licht.”
Licht reportedly “lost the room” with CNN staff following his decision to host the town hall with Trump.
“Did you see the town hall with CNN?” Trump asked attendees, claiming the network “got one of the highest ratings” they achieved in eleven years, “and they end up firing the guy because it was Trump.”
“Instead, [CNN] should celebrate, ‘We had the highest ratings,'” with the former reality TV star noting that “you’re supposed to be paid for high ratings.”
But CNN didn’t follow the rules of network television after achieving “one of the highest ratings in many, many years.”
Trump also referred to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, moderator of the Trump town hall while Licht was still CEO of the network, as a “very nasty woman.”
He claimed people were saying, “He owns you; he owns you; get him off,” citing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as screaming, “He owns you! Get him off the air! Stop it! Stop it!”
Trump insisted that “Licht should have gotten a raise, not fired,” Denouncing Licht’s firing, which he claimed was because the former President “was allowed to put across… [opposing] points of view.”
The former President concluded that “CNN should have gone more to the middle long ago.”
