CNN CEO: Staffers' Town Hall Coverage Got 'Too Emotional'

CNN CEO Chris Licht encouraged former President Donald Trump to 'have fun' in an exchange of words backstage before the start of Wednesday night's televised town hall event.

Trump promised Licht that he would boost CNN's ratings, to which Licht is said to have nodded before telling him to have 'a good conversation and have fun,' according to several eyewitness present at the broadcast at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, reports The Daily Mail.

Trump's promise rang true with the Republican front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination drawing in 3.3 million viewers - securing the cable network's highest viewing figures in the past two years. 

In 70 minutes of combative sparring with Cooper's CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins, Trump called January 6 a 'beautiful day,' wouldn't say whether he wanted Ukraine or Russia to win the war and branded Collins a 'nasty person' for pressing him on why he took so long to recover classified documents from Mar-a-Lago. 

Trump also dug in on calling the 2020 election 'rigged' and said the ending of Title 42 will be a 'day of infamy,' defended his actions on January 6 and gave his views on the war in Ukraine. 

CNN's Oliver Darcy

Licht has faced criticism from both within CNN and outside of the network for  organizing the event which saw Trump dominate the proceedings.

Media reporter for the network, Oliver Darcy, penned in his newsletter how it was 'hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN'. 

On Friday night, it was revealed how Darcy along with his editor were summoned to a meeting with Licht and other top executives in which they told him his coverage of the Trump town hall had been 'too emotional,' stressing the importance of remaining dispassionate.

Despite the controversy, Licht has defended his decision to host the town hall in an editorial meeting with his staff emphasizing the importance of obtaining Trump's answers, even if they were not liked by everyone.

Licht dismissed suggestions that moderator Kaitlan Collins did not challenge Trump vigorously enough on his claims about the 'rigged' 2020 election.

'You do not have to like the former president's answers, but you can't say that we didn't get them,' Licht said in audio obtained by the New York Post as he laid down the law with staff.

'While we all may have been uncomfortable hearing people clapping, that was also an important part of the story because the people in that audience represent a large swath of America.