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Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt blasted CNN for cutting her microphone during her interview ahead of President Donald Trump’s debate with President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Leavitt’s interview abruptly ended with host Kasie Hunt after she pointed out CNN host Jake Tapper’s history of criticizing Trump. Tapper is scheduled to co-host Thursday’s presidential debate.
“CNN cutting off my microphone for bringing up a debate moderator’s history of anti-Trump lies just proves our point that President Trump will not be treated fairly in Thursday’s debate,” Leavitt said in a statement, according to Breitbart News.
“Yet President Trump is still willing to go into this 3-1 fight to bring his winning message to the American people, and he will win,” she added.
Leavitt also took to her social media account on X to condemn CNN’s treatment of her during the Sunday interview.
“This proved our point that President Trump will not be treated fairly on Thursday. Yet he is still willing to go into this 3-1 fight to bring his winning message to the American people, and he will win,” she wrote.
Hunt responded to Leavitt’s post, arguing that, “You come on my show, you respect my colleagues. Period. I don’t care what side of the aisle you stand on, as my track record clearly shows.”
The CNN host and former MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-host failed to mention Tapper’s numerous Trump attacks, including reporting on Trump’s penis and referring to Trump’s presidency as a “nightmare.”
The controversy continues to grow ahead of CNN’s presidential debate featuring Biden and Trump. The debate’s rules have come under scrutiny for favoring Biden.
Some of the rules chosen for the 90-minute Thursday event include that campaign staff will not be able to interact with their candidate during the break, no opening or closing statements, and muted microphones when it is not a person’s turn to speak.
The debate will also not include a live studio audience, a change from past traditions during presidential debates. Both candidates are also expected to stand for the duration of the debate, a topic that Biden’s campaign has sought to change on Biden’s behalf. A coin toss will determine the debate’s first speaker.