CNN anchor Kasie Hunt dumped out of an interview with Trump National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt when Leavitt refused to quit attacking Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
President Joe Biden and Trump are set to debate on June 27 in the earliest general election presidential matchup ever, with Tapper and Bash moderating.
On Monday morning’s editionofCNN This Morning, Hunt hosted Leavitt to give the Trump campaign a chance to say whatever they wanted about Biden — but Leavitt could not resist attacking the moderators and got dumped when she refused to relent:
KASIE HUNT: Joining me now is Karoline Leavitt. She is Trump campaign national press secretary.
Karoline, thanks very much for being here on the show. We played that to remind everyone that that was some of what they saw on the debate stage in 2020. Of course, President Trump went on to lose that election to Joe Biden.
Can you tell us what Donald Trump is going to do differently on the debate stage this time?
KAROLINE LEAVITT: Sure. Well, President Trump is well-prepared ahead of Thursday’s debates. Unlike Joe Biden, he doesn’t have to hide away and have his advisers tell him what to say.
President Trump knows what he wants to say, and he’s going to relay his vision to the American people to make this country strong, safe, secure and wealthy again. He’s been doing that across this great nation to all corners of this country.
That’s why he was in Detroit, Michigan last week. He was in Philadelphia for a big rally on Saturday night.
And that’s why President Trump is knowingly going into a hostile environment on this very network, on CNN, with debate moderators who have made their opinions about him very well known over the past eight years and their biased coverage of him.
So President Trump is willing to bring his message to every corner of this country to voters to ensure that he wins this election in November. He looks forward to doing that. And I know the American public look forward to hearing from him.
KASIE HUNT: So. So I’ll just say, my colleagues, that Jake Tapper and Dana Bash have acquitted themselves as professionals as they have covered campaigns and interviewed candidates from all sides of the aisle.
I’ll also say that if you talk to analysts of debates, previous, that if you’re attacking the moderators, you’re usually losing.
So I really want to focus in on what these two men are going to do and say when they stand on the stage now.
Now we have a little bit of what, Donald Trump, your boss, has said in trying to set expectations for this debate, I want to play some of a series of his comments and then we’ll talk about it. Watch.
DONALD TRUMP VIDEO CLIP: Maybe I’m better off losing the debate…
KASIE HUNT: So he’s basically saying there, well, will I let Joe Biden win? It does seem as though many Republicans have set the bar very low in terms of arguing that Joe Biden is basically senile.
Now you have people like Doug Burgum coming out and saying, well, President Biden’s very accomplished, trying to set expectations in a different place. What do you expect from Joe Biden?
KAROLINE LEAVITT: Well, first of all, it’s it’s it takes about five minutes to Google Jake Tapper, Donald Trump to see that Jake Tapper has.
KASIE HUNT: Ma’am, we’re going to stop this interview if you’re going to keep attacking my colleagues.
(CROSSTALK)
KASIE HUNT: Ma’am, I’m going to stop you if you continue to attack my colleagues. I would like to talk about Joe–.
KAROLINE LEAVITT: I have stated–.
KASIE HUNT: and Donald Trump, who you work for– yes. If you are here to speak on his behalf I am willing to have this conversation.
KAROLINE LEAVITT: I am stating facts that your colleagues have stated in the past–
KASIE HUNT: Now I’m sorry. We’re going to come back after the panel. Karoline, thanks very much for your time. You are welcome to come back at any point. (DUMPS VIDEO).
She is welcome to come back and speak about Donald Trump. And Donald Trump will have equal time to Joe Biden when they both join us now at next. Early later this week in Atlanta for this debate. Our thanks to Karoline.
Afterward, Hunt wrote on Twitter “You come on my show, you respect my colleagues. Period. I don’t care what side of the aisle you stand on, as my track record clearly shows.”
