Tom Nichols: CNN’s Trump Town Hall Was ‘Highly Destructive’; ‘They Treated Him as if He Were Just an Ordinary Politician’

EXCERPT:

NICHOLS: “Well, in the same piece I argue that you need to see more of Trump, but not in this kind of environment. CNN chose, as you can see there, chose the worst of all possible worlds. I think it’s very effective to just train the camera on Trump when he’s at a rally and, you know, spewing his mad conspiracy theories, and gripes, and grievances, and whining. I also think it’s very effective to put him one-on-one with someone who doesn’t let him get away with anything. But to put him in front of, to legitimize him, a word I don’t often use, but to normalize him in the way that CNN did, I think was highly destructive. They treated him as if he were just an ordinary politician. They stacked the room — CNN says that they did not, but the room certainly seemed like it was filled with Trump supporters who were there to cheer him on. And, you know, without trying to slam Kaitlan Collins here, I mean, he just rolled over her, he brushed her aside. I think I said in the piece, he pushed her aside like she was an intern trying to straighten his lapels. I mean, he just didn’t bother with her. That’s the worst environment to put him in, and I think it was a dreadful mistake.”