CNN is hosting a Republican town hall debate this evening, which means that Trump is threatening to skip it over what he perceives as biased coverage from the network.
Wow, @CNN has nothing but my opponents on their shows. Really one-sided and unfair reporting. Maybe I shouldn't do their town-hall tonight!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2016
This is a familiar ploy for Trump, supposedly a master negotiator, to try to pressure networks into more favorable coverage. It hasn’t worked, in large part because it’s just so transparent. (Another possibility is that Trump is doing something he actually excels at: whining. Most likely it’s some combination of the two.) Of course, he did skip one debate, before the Iowa Caucuses, and it backfired: Trump lost Iowa.
One problem with Trump’s assertion that CNN “has nothing but my opponents on their shows” is that it’s not true. Trump supporter and guy who got a 1 on his AP US History exam Jeffrey Lord is on constantly. Katrina Pierson, Trump’s spokesperson, appeared on CNN this morning, though last night Don Lemon did call her a liar on the air.