Things got a little awkward on Anderson Cooper 360 when Charlamagne Tha God took CNN’s golden boy, Anderson Cooper, to task over how the network covers Trump—or, in Charlamagne’s opinion, doesn’t cover Trump enough. Charlamagne claimed that CNN isn’t pushing the “Trump is a fascist” narrative as hard as it could be, and Anderson was, let’s just say, visibly uncomfortable.
Charlamagne started things off with a jab about the network’s priorities: “I feel like I heard more on this network about, ‘Is Kamala Harris black?’ than I do about Donald Trump being a fascist.” Now, considering the number of times CNN and others have likened Trump to Hitler or labeled him a threat to democracy since 2019, this was a curious accusation. It seems Charlamagne wants even more of what’s already been an endless onslaught of “Trump is evil” soundbites.
Anderson pushed back, calling the statement “bullshit.” Cooper went on to defend his show, claiming he’s not out here questioning Kamala’s identity and that he’s just trying to bring “different viewpoints” to his audience. But Charlamagne wasn’t convinced and continued pushing, saying CNN and other networks never seem to have “honest conversations about Donald Trump.” That’s a line some people might call irony, considering CNN’s 24/7 Trump coverage over the years has rarely missed a chance to pile on the criticism. But it appears Charlamagne thinks CNN should be turning up the heat even further.
“I don’t think y’all have enough conversations about it. I feel like I heard more on this network about, ‘Is Kamala Harris black?’ Than I do about Donald Trump being a fascist. Am I wrong Angela?” Charlamagne questioned.
“Honestly, that’s bullshit. I’m sorry. “Look, I’m a huge fan of yours, but to say that we‘re sitting around discussing ‘Is Kamala Harris black? Like — ” Cooper said before the radio host interrupted.
At this point, Anderson was visibly rattled, practically stammering as he tried to process Charlamagne’s critique. And here’s where it got even stranger—Anderson’s disbelief that Trump supporters would ever tune into CNN looking for a balanced take on Trump. After years of his network hammering away at Trump and his supporters, it’s hardly a surprise that viewers aren’t flocking there for a fair and balanced perspective.
And in case there was any lingering doubt about the White House’s stance, President Joe Biden this week went as far as calling for Trump to be “locked up” during a New Hampshire Democratic National Committee event. He quickly clarified that he meant “politically locked up,” which did little to hide the intensity of the statement. Then there’s Kamala Harris, who, in her own CNN town hall, labeled Trump a fascist and said that those “who know him best on this subject should be trusted.” Subtle.
🚨BREAKING: 14 days before the presidential election, Joe Biden calls for the incarceration of Donald Trump:
“We gotta lock him up.”
This is the “tell” as to why the Democrat machine has been feverishly working to imprison Trump. It’s all been intentional. pic.twitter.com/mXK5IfxJlA
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 22, 2024
And then Kamala says this…
🚨BREAKING: Kamala Harris instantly seizes upon an already DEBUNKED hoax from the Atlantic and weaponizes it to attack Donald Trump:
“Trump would invoke Adolf Hitler, the man who is responsible for the death of six million Jews.”
They’re going to get Trump killed. Pray. pic.twitter.com/OBKAWedqqf
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 23, 2024
Charlamagne’s frustration might stem from the fact that even with the relentless anti-Trump rhetoric, the polling is still tight. So now, some on the left are taking aim at CNN, of all places, for not doing enough to call Trump out. The irony here is rich: CNN spent years amplifying every negative narrative about Trump, from Russia to impeachment, from his every tweet to his every misstep, yet now some believe the network isn’t carrying the anti-Trump torch high enough.
This exchange is yet another example of the echo chamber effect—a call for even more “honest conversations” about Trump as if that’s the missing ingredient in persuading swing voters. But here’s a thought: maybe the American public has already seen the “Trump is a fascist” headline too many times to count. Maybe they’re looking for something a bit more substantive than the same old talking points. Either way, the debate between Charlamagne and Cooper shows there’s a divide even within the left’s media bubble over how far to take the Trump-bashing narrative, and that should tell us something about where the media’s priorities are these days.
