CNN CEO defends MAGA town hall audience that cheered Trump and laughed at sexual abuse

CNN chief executive Chris Licht defended the network's controversial town hall with former President Donald Trump during a call with employees on Thursday, according to former CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter.

In an editorial meeting Thursday morning, Licht told CNN staff that the town hall's audience, who cheered and applauded Trump's lies throughout the night, tells an "important part of the story" of Americans' attitudes toward the 2024 election.

"While we all may have been uncomfortable hearing people clapping, that was also an important part of the story," Licht reportedly said, adding that those audience members represent "a large swath of America" whose story the media missed in 2015 and 2016.

Licht continued, saying that covering Trump is "tricky and messy" and will "continue to be messy and tricky, but it's our job."

"America was served very well by what we did last night," he added. But many CNN employees disagreed, Stelter wrote.

Trump thanked and praised the audience following the town hall in a Truth Social post on Wednesday night.

"Hope everyone enjoyed CNN tonight. The New Hampshire audience was AMAZING. Thank you!" he wrote. 

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MSNBC's "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough, however, shared the opinion of many of CNN's staff, criticizing the network for broadcasting the event and filling the audience with Trump supporters.

On his show Thursday morning, Scarborough questioned what CNN was thinking in allowing that crowd to be present during the event.

"Of course, speaking of women, I didn't even talk about mothers who are now afraid to send their children to school because of what happens all too often and because of Donald Trump's Republican Party unwilling to do anything to protect our children in schools, in churches, synagogues, at country music festivals and shopping malls and grocery stores, you name it," he said. "I just have to ask, I just have to ask, what the hell? What the hell was it with that audience? What the hell? What were they thinking putting that audience in there?"

"Those weren't undecided voters," Scarborough added. "It was a pep rally for Donald Trump where they mocked and ridiculed the CNN anchor, where they mocked and ridiculed a woman who was sexually abused by the man on stage. They were applauding. What was with that audience? How was that audience selected?"