At the beginning of his presidential town hall event with former president Donald Trump on Thursday, Fox News host Sean Hannity made a point to distinguish himself from CNN’s Kaitlin Collins.
On May 10, CNN held a similar town hall event with Trump.
In her role as host, Collin’s frequently sparred with Trump, arguing with him throughout the night.
Shortly before Trump made his way onstage, Hannity made it clear he wouldn’t be doing the same.
Watch: Hannity opens tonight’s town hall with Trump: “Unlike fake news CNN, it’s not my job to sit here and debate the candidate. We are going to ask him about the issues of the day that matter to the people – the voters who will also have their questions as well. Nothing is off… pic.twitter.com/BSE66ElZ3U
— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) June 2, 2023
“Unlike fake news CNN, it’s not my job to sit here and debate the candidate,” Hannity said.
“We’re going to ask him about the issue of the day that actually matters to the people that came out here tonight in the rain and thunder and lightning.”
“Nothing is off the table.”
Do you think Trump will win the Republican nomination in 2024?
Yes: 95% (292 Votes)
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Shortly thereafter, Trump was brought on stage to wild applause.
Big Cheers And Standing Ovation… As President Trump Steps Out Into Hannity’s Studio With A Yuge Audience…👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇺🇲🦅 pic.twitter.com/cVDyZ93wUC
— AɯƙɯαɾԃMαɱα™® (@Aspiemama_107) June 2, 2023
Hannity’s refusal to get into heated arguments may have prevented the event from going viral in the same fashion as CNN’s thanks to the latter’s highly contentious clashes between Collins and Trump.
Perhaps one of the most contentious moments from CNN’s town hall came when Collins questioned the president about his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol incursion.
Former President Trump pulls out screenshots of his tweets on January 5th and 6th asking for protestors to remain peaceful. pic.twitter.com/fRxnF6QICZ
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 11, 2023
“When they went to the Capitol and they were breaking into the Capitol, smashing windows, injuring police officers, why did it take you three hours to tell them to go home?” Collins asked.
The question prompted Trump to reach into his blazer to pull out a stack of papers.
The papers included screenshots from his Twitter account that day.
“On January 5, the day before, I said, ‘Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!’” Trump said.
