“They made me a deal I couldn’t refuse – it may be the beginning of a new and vibrant CNN,” said former President Donald Trump in a video posted to his Truth Social account Wednesday.
Trump – who announced his 2024 presidential election candidacy in November – was preparing for an 8 p.m. CNN town hall. It is his first appearance on the network since the 2016 election, according to an email sent out Wednesday.
“I’ve been arrested. My home has been raided. My private communications have been surveilled,” said the email. “So, you better believe I have nothing to fear by going on CNN!”
Trump said that he planned to take questions from voters during the event, held in New Hampshire, the “first in the nation” primary state. He also urged email recipients to donate to his campaign ahead of the event.
According to CNN, the former president’s decision to appear on the network is part of a “strategy of expanding his appeal by reaching out to audiences beyond friendly conservative media outlets,” citing multiple advisers familiar with the strategy. Both CNN and conservative media staple Fox News have had recent shakeups with the departure of hosts Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson, respectively.
While Trump said the town hall could possibly herald a new era at CNN, he also said the event could be “a total disaster for all, including me.”
He also said in the video that CNN is eager to get its “fantastic Trump ratings” back.
Since his last appearance on CNN, Trump has served a term in office, lost a presidential election, been indicted and, just this week, found liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. Classified documents were also found during a raid of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida last year. However, he still leads the polls compared to other potential Republican candidates.
According to The New York Times, “no questions will be off-limits on Wednesday night at the CNN town hall,” and the situation adds up to “no small amount of risk for the former president during the prime-time event,” per his advisers.
“There is no change to our format because of the unique nature of Donald Trump’s candidacy,” said David Chalian, CNN’s political director, according to The Times. “CNN’s role of bringing a candidate into direct touch with voters in this town hall format has been and continues to be a staple of our presidential campaign coverage.”
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