Former President Donald Trump known for his criticism of CNN, surprisingly had a few words of praise for the outlet’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash after they moderated the first 2024 presidential debate. This transpired a day later, at his rally in Virginia . Bringing up the debate, Trump said, “Remember the guy from CNN?” referring to Tapper, and the crowd listened intently. “Although, I shouldn’t knock CNN because I actually thought they treated me very fairly last night.”
He continued, “Very professional, both of them. Jake and Dana treated us very fairly. They abused me for years, but last night– right? What happened?… I think it’s great. I think it was great for them. It was great for CNN.” With approximately 51 million viewers tuning in, the debate became the most-watched program in CNN’s history. However, the number is lower than what people saw in previous election cycles. The first Biden-Trump debate in 2020 recorded around 73 million viewers, whereas in 2016, the first Trump-Clinton debate attracted around 84 million.
Trump praises CNN and the moderators: They treated me very fairly. Very professional. Both of them. I think it was great for them. It was great for CNN. pic.twitter.com/cQte0eR8aA
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 28, 2024
During the 90-minute event, Trump made numerous false statements, while Joe Biden struggled with his words. At one point, Biden mistakenly said, “We finally beat Medicare,” as per The Daily Beast . The debate format was different this year. It took place in an audience-free soundstage and new rules were set in place to prevent interruptions. Producers muted the microphones of candidates when it wasn’t their turn to speak.
While Trump seemed pleased, some liberals criticized Tapper and Bash for not fact-checking the candidates. However, CNN had announced beforehand that there would be no fact-checking during the debate. The network wanted to let the candidates’ voices carry the night. Additionally, there were some concerns that the new format could hurt Trump’s debate performance, but it ended up working in his favor.
Hats off to @CNN , @DanaBashCNN and @jaketapper for a top-notch debate that was fair, informative and controlled. This format worked well. Plenty of fiery exchanges but more watchable for the voters. Well done.
— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) June 28, 2024
Without the ability to play to a live audience or interrupt, Trump came across as more measured and dignified for most of the debate. He only became animated in the last 30 minutes, as per Politico . Biden, on the other hand, faced challenges under the format. His uninterrupted speaking time highlighted his sometimes halting speech. The split-screen format also drew attention to Biden’s age, as his facial expressions were constantly visible. He stood mostly with a bewildered confused look.
Have to say that @CNN did a good job managing the debate. Questions were reasonable and non-partisan. No favoritism was shown to either candidate. This is what the public wants from the media.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 28, 2024
Happy with how the event turned out, Republicans praised CNN’s handling of the debate. Arkansas Governor, Asa Hutchinson, deemed it “a top-notch debate that was fair, informative and controlled.” Trump’s son, Donald Jr. , also appreciated the format, opining that it kept his father ” disciplined and focused .” Even tech billionaire Elon Musk weighed in. He tweeted , “Have to say that @CNN did a good job managing the debate. Questions were reasonable and non-partisan. No favoritism was shown to either candidate. This is what the public wants from the media.”