Things got a bit heated when radio personality Charlamagne Tha God confronted Anderson Cooper about CNN’s presidential election coverage.
The Breakfast Club host appeared on CNN on Oct. 24, where he criticized the network and other major news outlets for their seemingly casual approach to former President Donald Trump’s controversial rhetoric. Charlamagne argued that CNN did not label Trump as a “fascist” but instead focused more on his comments regarding Harris’s race.
“It’s crazy because you still don’t have news networks having that conversation, like when somebody says, when somebody questions Kamala Harris’s blackness or, ‘Is she a DEI hire?’ you all will have roundtable discussions about that, asking that question,” Charlamagne said in a clip shared online.
“How come we’re not having a roundtable discussion asking, ‘Is Donald Trump a fascist?’ Actually, not even asking — he’s stating it,” Charlamagne added. “How come that is not the topic of discussion on networks like CNN every day?”
Charlamagne and Anderson Cooper get into it over CNN’s coverage of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris: pic.twitter.com/pbT33aSckV
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) October 25, 2024
Cooper responded, saying he talks about it “every night” on his show.
But Charlamagne continued to drive his point home.
“I feel like I heard more on this network about, ‘Is Kamala Harris Black?’ than I do about Donald Trump being a fascist,” he said.
That’s when Cooper fired back with an expletive in defense of his reporting on the election.
“Honestly, that’s bulls‑‑‑. I’m sorry. I’m a fan of yours, but to say that we‘re sitting around discussing ‘Is Kamala Harris Black…’”
“I’ve seen that. I’ve seen roundtable discussions a lot. Now that’s bulls‑‑‑, Anderson,” Charlamagne said.
While acknowledging the “nutty people” with “strongly held beliefs” who have been invited on CNN panels to “have a legitimate conversation,” Cooper still defended the network’s anchors and their reporting on Trump and Harris.
“I think no network has honest conversations about Donald Trump,” Charlamagne concluded. “Nobody’s had an honest conversation about Donald Trump since 2016.”
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