CNN has decided to air Donald Trump’s full 20-minute victory speech following his Super Tuesday victory as the presidential hopeful continues to move toward an electoral rematch with Biden.
Trump quickly overtook Nikki Haley to achieve victories in Maine, Oklahoma, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Massachusetts.
“They tell me… there’s never been anything like this, there’s never been anything so conclusive,” Trump said under the gold roof of the Grand Ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
His victory speech addressed many of the key talking points that have contributed to his success, and which CNN chose to broadcast in their entirety.
The decision marks a stark contrast from just a few days ago, when the left-leaning network cut off Trump’s border speech citing “several lies” it was proliferating.
CNN chose to show former President Donald Trump’s Super Tuesday victory speech in its entirety despite previously opting to remove his speeches.
Trump was watched by family members. From left to right: Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr. Tiffany Trump is on the far right but there was no sign of Melania.
Both Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, continue to dominate their parties despite facing age questions and neither having widespread popularity among the general electorate.
Now it appears the two men are headed for a rematch of the 2020 election.
“November 5th will go down in history as the most important day in the history of our country,” Trump said in his Super Tuesday victory speech.
Trump didn’t even mention his Republican rival Nikki Haley during his speech. Instead, he continues his pivot toward the presidential election and launches new attacks on Biden.
“Other leaders…can’t believe what happened to us because three years ago we were, by far, the most respected country in the world,” the former president said.
CNN decided to broadcast Trump’s entire speech from Florida after polls closed, a move from previous decisions not to broadcast or shorten Trump’s speeches. The move apparently shows CNN recognizing Trump as the Republican challenger who needs to be heard by the electorate.
CNN’s decision was different from that of the liberal network MSNBC, which abstained from the speech.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow previously stated that the election “is a decision that we constantly review and will constantly review.”
On Tuesday he went so far as to rebuke his employers for broadcasting the speech, saying there is a “cost” to news organizations for “knowingly broadcasting false things.”
CNN decided to broadcast Trump’s entire speech from Florida after polls closed, a move from previous decisions not to broadcast or shorten Trump’s speeches.
CNN had already cut Trump’s speeches last week, when the network stopped broadcasting Trump’s comments from the border about the immigration crisis. CNN reporter Daniel Dale, however, verified the address, which he called “nonsense.”
Among the false claims made by Trump were claims that people from prisons and mental institutions were being “emptied” in the US, a claim for which Dale could find no evidence.
Trump also claimed that many of those crossing the border spoke “languages no one has ever heard of,” which Dale said had been “conjured up out of thin air.”
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins also noted that Trump misrepresented how much of the border wall was built under his administration.
He incorrectly claimed to have built 571 miles, and Collins reminded viewers that “none of which Mexico paid for, which was another promise of his.”
But it is not the first time that CNN has censored the former president.
As recently as last week, CNN cut away from Trump’s speeches. He is pictured Feb. 29 speaking with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at the Texas-Mexico border.
Both Biden, 81, and Trump, 77, continue to dominate their parties despite facing age questions and lacking widespread popularity among the general electorate.
CNN’s decision was different from that of the liberal network MSNBC, which abstained from the speech.
Last month, the network removed the former president’s comments following Supreme Court oral arguments on whether he should be disqualified from the Colorado election.
Host Jake Tapper interrupted him when he began attacking the Biden administration, before the CNN panel burst out laughing.
The broadcaster also interrupted Trump’s victory speech in the New Hampshire primary in January to fact-check his claims, which included repeating his claim that he won the 2020 election.
It comes as Biden allies have reportedly been encouraging the media to draw more attention to Trump’s rhetoric as part of his campaign. The hill reported.