CNN Invites Trump to Participate in Town Hall — On Same Night as Harris — After He Turned Down Network’s Debate Offer

CNN

CNN announced on Thursday that it has invited both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to take part in a televised town hall on October 23.

After Trump refused to participate in a second presidential debate against Harris — even one offered up by Fox News — CNN extended invites to both campaigns for a live town hall event in Pennsylvania. The town hall invite came after the deadline to accept the invitation for CNN’s proposed debate on the same date passed without Trump accepting.

Harris’s campaign immediately accepted the invite to the town hall while mocking Trump for wanting to “hide from the voters.”

CNN’s Brian Stelter wrote:

The network said the town halls will take place before a live audience of persuadable and undecided voters from Pennsylvania.

“We continue to believe the American people would benefit from hearing more from the two major candidates for President of the United States and so CNN has extended invitations to both Vice President Harris and President Trump’s campaigns to participate in separate CNN Town Halls on October 23.” CNN said in a statement on Thursday.

Trump took part in a town hall on CNN in April 2023, which made the network and its then-president Chris Licht the subject of sharp criticism. Trump was combative and lied throughout the event moderated by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins. Several also believed that the live audience was packed with Trump supporters. The disastrous event (among other things) ended up costing Licht his job.