CNN told 'disgusted' audience members to stay silent during Trump's town hall: report
The audience at CNN’s town hall Wednesday appeared to be lapping up Donald Trump’s every word, but there were many dissenters in the crowd – and they were told to stay quiet, a new report claims.
“There were also people that sat there quietly disgusted or bewildered,” Republican political consultant Matthew Bartlett told the news website Puck.
“The floor manager came out ahead of time and said, ‘Please do not boo, please be respectful.’ You were allowed to applaud.
"And I think that set the tone where people were going to try their best to keep this between the navigational beacons, and that if they felt compelled to applaud, they would, but they weren't going to have an outburst or they weren't going to boo an answer."
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CNN has faced criticism for loading the audience with Trump supporters, who were heard laughing as he mocked sexual abuse victim E. Jean Carroll and cheering controversial statements, including his repeating of debunked claims that the 2020 election was rigged and backing the January 6 insurrectionists.
Bartlett said Trump actually “lost the audience” during those segments.
"In a TV setting, you hear the applause, but you don't see the disgust," he said.
"So Trump did not have the entire room on his side, make no mistake, even if it certainly came across that way on TV."
"It could have been a better format in my opinion,” he added.