A group of Republican and Independent voters in New Hampshire expressed their dissatisfaction with CNN moderators following former President Donald Trump’s town hall event on Wednesday evening. This marked Trump’s first appearance on the network in years. The focus group participants did not hold back when asked about Trump’s persistent claims regarding the 2020 election results.

Jonathan Lesley, a member of the group who had voted for Trump twice, responded to the moderator, stating, “You guys asked him the first question at the town hall about the 2020 election rather than current stuff.”

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Throughout the hour-long event, CNN host Kaitlan Collins repeatedly questioned Trump about his electoral defeat in the 2020 election against President Joe Biden, rather than delving into his plans for a potential reelection campaign or discussing policy differences between him and Biden.

Over the years, President Trump and the liberal network have had a turbulent relationship. Trump utilized Collins’ line of questioning to present his own narrative concerning lawsuits, investigations, and alleged misconduct by former allies.

The audience, comprised entirely of Republican voters, expressed vocal support for Trump’s claims of victory in the 2020 election. This was a topic that Collins initiated at the beginning of the evening and continuously revisited.

Following the town hall, CNN CEO Chris Licht prepared to announce that Collins, aged 31, would take over the network’s 9 PM ET primetime slot, which was previously occupied by Chris Cuomo before his termination.

Puck News reported, “CNN, which has endured some of the worst ratings in its history under Zaz’s hand-picked C.E.O., Chris Licht, is now poised for a brief taste of the same power and influence that it enjoyed in the old days. And it will achieve that massive audience, of course, via the very same mechanism that fueled the Zucker years: Donald Trump.”

The news of Collins’ rapid rise at CNN coincided with her hosting what many described as a “disastrous” town hall in New Hampshire with former President Donald Trump.

In a statement, a CNN spokesperson told Mediaite, “Tonight, Kaitlan Collins exemplified what it means to be a world-class journalist. She asked tough, fair, and revealing questions. And she followed up and fact-checked President Trump in real time to arm voters with crucial information about his positions as he enters the 2024 election as the Republican frontrunner. That is CNN’s role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful to account.”

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However, inviting Trump onto the network drew criticism from left-wing politicians and liberals. New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “CNN should be ashamed of themselves. They have lost total control of this ‘town hall’ to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim. The audience is cheering him on and laughing at the host. This falls squarely on CNN. Everyone here saw exactly what was going to happen. Instead, they put a sexual abuse victim in harm’s way for views. This was a choice to platform lies about the election & Jan 6th w/ no plan but to have their moderator interrupted without consequence.”

Justin Baragona, the senior media reporter for The Daily Beast, also shared his immediate reaction to the Trump town hall, quoting a CNN on-air personality who said, “It is so bad. I was cautiously optimistic despite the criticism. It is awful. It’s a Trump infomercial. We’re going to get crushed.”

Despite the controversy and differing opinions about the event, it is evident that Trump’s appearance on CNN sparked intense reactions and reignited debates about the network’s role and responsibility in holding powerful figures accountable.