Topic: Newsmax
Newsmax, as a loyal Trump sycophant, is excited about all things Trump, was particularly excited on the town hall he did on CNN May 10. The day before, Jeffrey Rodack previewed things from a pro-Trump point of view:
Former President Donald Trump is touting his scheduled Wednesday appearance on CNN.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, he wrote: "I'll be doing CNN tomorrow night, LIVE from the Great State of New Hampshire, because they are rightfully desperate to get those fantastic (TRUMP!) ratings once again. They made me a deal I couldn't refuse!!! Could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me. Let's see what happens? Wednesday Night at 8:00!!!”
Its first article on the town hall itself, an overall summary, was a balanced wire article, and a second wire article focused on the E. Jean Carroll defamation lawsuit he had lost the day before . These were followed by a couple of Newsmax-generated articles by Solange Reyner touting other claims Trump made:
- Trump: US Should Default If Biden Balks on Spending Cuts
- Trump: Biden Administration Will Rue End of Title 42
Rayner also werved up her own summary of the town hall, which quoted only trump and didn't note any criticism or offer any fact-checks.
The next day, an article by Rodack cheered how Trump dominated and made CNN look bad:
Liberals were left fuming over CNN's town hall with Donald Trump as the former president firmly took control of the event.
The town hall, hosted by CNN's Kaitlan Collins, aired Wednesday night from New Hampshire.
Progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., directed their anger squarely at CNN.
[...]
The Times also reported CNN Chair Chris Licht defended the network from the backlash it is receiving.
On a network-wide editorial call on Thursday, Licht complimented Collins, on "a masterful performance," the Times noted. "We all know covering Donald Trump is messy and tricky, and it will continue to be messy and tricky," he said. "But it's our job.
Newsmax also gave space to its fellow Trump sycophants to praise his performance. A May 11 article claimed:
Conservative talk show host Dan Bongino said former President Donald Trump's performance during a CNN town hall was so good Wednesday night that he effectively wrapped up the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
"I'm going to say after last night, I don't know what you guys think, the primary is over," Bongino said during his opening monologue Thursday of "The Dan Bongino Show" podcast.
"It's over man. ... Trump was in rare form last night and just lit CNN on fire to the point where CNN was questioning CNN at the end of the night.
Another sycophant parroted that in a May 12 article:
Former President Donald Trump's performance on CNN's town hall this week resulted in a win for both him and the network that President Joe Biden, if he were in the same situation, could never match, Rep. Matt Gaetz said on Newsmax Friday.
"President Trump showed a comfortable command of the room," the Florida Republican said on Newsmax's "Eric Bolling: The Balance." "He had an exquisite knowledge of the facts. He brought receipts to counter some of the false narratives that have been put out by a lot of mainstream media and he interacted with people asking questions in a very warm and comforting and almost host-like way."
But Biden, Gaetz told Bolling, "could not do 90 minutes with Kaitlan Collins without needing a nap in the middle and a drool rag at the end of it."
A May 15 article by the apparently unironically named Charlie McCarthy let Trump take a victory lap:
Former President Donald Trump said he's surprised by how "traumatized" CNN employees were after his town hall on the network last week.
CNN employees and liberals were fuming after Trump firmly took control of the event held in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
"I was surprised by the level of hostility," Trump told The Messenger. "I thought they would be neutral and even better than that so they could get the viewers back. And they had one of the best [viewership] days in years. So you would think they would claim success.
McCarthy went on to uncritically repeat numerous boasts by Trump without any attempt to fact-check him.
