“Rambling and Incoherent”: CNN Cuts Away from Trump’s Campaign Event Due to Falsehoods
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CNN anchor Jim Acosta cut live coverage of former President Donald Trump’s campaign event on Tuesday, interrupting to address what he described as a series of “rambling, incoherent” comments and blatant falsehoods. The moment occurred during a Latino roundtable event held at Trump National Doral in Miami, where Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, addressed a wide range of topics within a brief span of time.
Acosta’s decision to cut away from the live event came after listening to Trump’s speech for about 75 seconds. During that time, the former president commented on the countdown to the election, criticized Vice President Kamala Harris, and touched on unrelated subjects, including whether Senator Bernie Sanders was more liberal than Senator Elizabeth Warren, whom he derogatorily referred to as “Pocahontas.”
“That is former President Donald Trump holding what is being described as a Latino roundtable in Miami,” Acosta began before expressing his frustration with Trump’s commentary. “Although as you just heard a few moments ago, it was sort of a rambling, incoherent stream of consciousness.”
“Who the hell takes off?” Trump began. “We have 14 days left. And she’ll take a couple of more days off too, you know why? She’s lazy as hell and she’s got that reputation. She’s a radical left lunatic. She’s further left than Bernie Sanders or Pocahontas. Now, Pocahontas, because I think, is Pocahontas, Rick, is Pocahontas further left than Bernie? Just about, right? It’s close. It’s close. Who the hell cares right? Rick says, ‘Eh, I don’t know.’ But they’re out there. But she’s, but she’s furthest left. We can’t have a person, she’s a Marxist. Her father’s a Marxist professor, by the way. The fake news, look at all of them, where’s the father? We should interview because I’d find it interesting to see what he has to say. I don’t know, they seem to have a problem, but it would be nice to interview the father. He’s a Marxist professor and I think that’s okay. that’s good, fine. but I think it’s appropriate that the father be interviewed by the fake news. They don’t want to interview him and I wonder why. If we had a real press in this country, this wouldn’t even be a race. And I’m not sure it is a race anyway. They just came out with the Atlanta constitution—”
“Blatant Falsehoods”
Trump’s remarks included a variety of unfounded claims and derogatory remarks, notably directed at Vice President Harris. At one point, he referred to Harris as “lazy as hell,” an assertion that CNN quickly debunked. Following the interruption of Trump’s live speech, Acosta and CNN’s fact-checker Daniel Dale embarked on a detailed review of Trump’s comments, highlighting the misleading nature of many of his statements.
“She’s not a Marxist, obviously she’s not lazy as hell,” Acosta remarked in response to Trump’s accusations. “She was a district attorney in San Francisco, attorney general in California, senator from California, and Vice President. You can’t really be lazy as hell if you’re doing all of those things.”
Dale went further in debunking Trump’s statements, especially the former president’s claim that Harris was “taking the day off” from the campaign trail. In reality, according to Dale, Harris had taken time to tape two high-profile interviews that day. “She’s not on the beach,” Dale pointed out, countering Trump’s misleading portrayal of her absence from campaign rallies.
Trump’s History of Falsehoods
The CNN segment then transitioned to a broader discussion about Trump’s extensive history of false and misleading statements, a recurring theme in his political career. Dale emphasized how fact-checkers face an overwhelming task when dealing with Trump’s comments. “We’re seeing just a deluge on things like FEMA and migrants, about immigration, about the legitimacy of American elections,” he said.
According to Dale, Trump’s volume of falsehoods far exceeds that of other political figures, including his current opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. “We’re very busy with Mr. Trump right now to a far greater extent than we’re busy with Vice President Harris,” he stated.
Trump’s event at Trump National Doral in Miami was intended to engage Latino voters, a key demographic in the upcoming election. However, the focus of the CNN segment remained on the numerous inaccuracies in Trump’s speech and the network’s challenge in presenting a clear, fact-based analysis of his statements.
Acosta’s decision to cut away from Trump’s live speech underscores the growing media tension with Trump’s campaign events. With the 2024 election drawing closer, the former president’s speeches continue to spark debate, particularly in terms of their factual accuracy and overall coherence.
CNN’s handling of the event reflects the network’s ongoing efforts to combat misinformation during the campaign season. As Trump continues to campaign, media outlets face the challenge of balancing coverage with the need for fact-checking, all while trying to provide viewers with a clear understanding of the political landscape.
