Donald Trump has just canceled a scheduled interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernen, who has been described as “pro-Trump.”
The cancellation comes as many are watching video and reading reports about Trump’s Monday night town hall in Pennsylvania, during which the Republican presidential nominee, three weeks before Election Day, took just a handful of questions. Then, after two audience medical issues, he turned the night into a music event as he stood and swayed on stage listening to his favorite hits.
Trump “abruptly canceled an interview on his economic plans with business channel CNBC, one of its anchors announced Tuesday,” The Daily Beast reports. “Joe Kernen, the conservative-leaning host of its flagship show Squawk Box, revealed the move during an interview with Charles Phillips, the Oracle chairman who is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, saying ‘Trump canceled.’ The interview had not previously been announced by either side. Sources told the Daily Beast that the network had invited Trump to an in-studio sit-down on Squawk Box to take place later this week and that his campaign had initially accepted.”
The move comes after Trump pulled out of an agreed-upon “60 Minutes” interview, and one day before Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic presidential opponent, will sit down for an interview with Fox News.
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“The cancelation continues Trump’s policy of avoiding mainstream television interviews,” The Daily Beast adds. “Instead he has been interviewed repeatedly by friendly Fox News hosts including Maria Bartiromo, and appeared with podcasters including comedian Andrew Schultz. His public schedule said he would be interviewed Tuesday by Bloomberg before an address to the Economic Club of Chicago.”
The Bulwark reports since Trump’s only debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, he isn’t giving interviews to the mainstream media.
“In recent weeks, Trump has almost exclusively decamped to outlets that are already in his tank. Since the September 10 presidential debate, with the exceptions of a Las Vegas ABC affiliate and a quick NewsNation hit, nearly all of Trump’s 14 one-one interviews have been with interviewers ranging from friendly to sycophantic:
“Fox News hosts Maria Bartiromo, Laura Ingraham, Brian Kilmeade, Sean Hannity, and Greg Gutfield.
Chris Salcedo, Carl Higbie, and Rob Schmitt of NewsMax.
Sinclair’s Sharyl Attkisson.
Conservative radio host Dave Ramsey.
Wayne Allyn Root of Real America’s Voice.
Andrew Schultz and Akaash Singh of the comedy podcast Flagrant.
Over the same period, he’s totally eschewed tentpole mainstream outlets—making a point of skipping, for instance, the traditional interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes.”
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“Trump still talks with the press and takes questions at events, including (likely) today when Bloomberg News is hosting his speech at the Chicago Economic Club. But when it comes to one-on-one interviews, he’s never been more cloistered within his MAGA media bubble.”
Overnight, Trump lashed out at Harris in a series of social media posts, defending his mental health.
“I’ve put out more Medical Exams than any other President in History, and aced two Cognitive Exams (the Doctor stated that my “cognitive exams were exceptional!”). I am far healthier than Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden, but especially, Kamala,” Trump alleged. “Also, I am far too busy campaigning to take time, from the 22 days left, as I am using every hour, of every day, campaigning, because we have to take back our Country from the Radical Left people that are destroying it.”
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