Way back in May of 2023, Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, a stand-out member of Congress given his media savviness, appeared on CNN and battled with CNN commentators and hosts Anderson Cooper, Van Jones, and Alyssa Farah Griffin over a town hall that CNN had recently conducted with the former president.

During his remarks, Donalds skewered CNN as being more focused on trying to rebut Trump than letting him speak about his views and policies. That is omething that the ABC News presidential debate moderators have also been accused of in the wake of the September 10th debate between former President Trump and VP Kamala Harris.

In any case, Donalds went on the attack against CNN’s Kaitlan Collins for pushing her own views at the expense of the public’s opportunity to learn from Trump about his views during the town hall. Beginning, he said, “Town halls are for the voters, not for the press or the person who is the moderator.”

Continuing, he said, before being interrupted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, that Collins had spent more time during the town hall pushing her own views on the topics than letting the former president express his thoughts. “Kaitlan spent more time interjecting her own viewpoints or her own views on the situation,” Donalds said.

Chiming in with an interruption, Cooper said, “Those are actually facts, though.” Donalds wasn’t having it. Firing back, he said, “Hold on. “Are you guys now going to interject your views on me, or do I get a chance to speak?” Cooper again made much the same point, snapping, “If you’re speaking falsely, those are facts.”

Donalds then started speaking about what he sees voters as wanting to learn, telling the CNN pannel, “Voters want to talk about the border, inflation, foreign policy.” But instead of listening, they all clamored to have him say if he thinks the 2020 election was legitimate and honest or not, leading to Donalds telling them, “This is what’s frustrating to a lot of people. You want me to state it the way you want me to state it.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin, a supposed Republican on the panel, pressed him further, asking, “You do acknowledge Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, correct?” “Hold on… let me tell you why most voters are frankly kind of tired of y’all bringing this up,” Donalds replied, proceeding to argue that far more Americans care about the crime situation in the country than what he, a member of Congress, thinks about the election.

During his remarks, Donalds also called out CNN’s lies about what Trump said, specifically as regards Ukraine, saying, “With respect to Ukraine, I totally disagree. He did not say he was just going to give over Ukraine, the way you intimate van. He did not say that. What he said was, is that he would actually look for a solution to end it quickly”

Continuing on that same point and explaining what Trump actually said, Donalds said, “He put 24 hours on it. But let’s be very clear, what Joe Biden has done has been a disaster, because initially, with Ukraine, Joe Biden wanted to give Vladimir Zelensky a ride out of dodge. He wanted to give him a plane ride. And it wasn’t until people in Moscow and Ukraine here in the United States said this invasion is wrong, that Joe Biden reversed course.”

Watch him feud with the CNN panelists here:

 

 

Tweeting about the spat, Donalds said, “The American people aren’t speaking about the 2020 election, a liable case after 25+ years, or January 6th. They are talking about the price of gas/groceries, fentanyl killing Americans 18-45, crime in the streets, & the fear of WWIII. CNN’s top issues aren’t America’s.” His wife, Erika Donalds, chimed in and praised him, saying, “So proud of my husband on @CNN tonight, interjecting large doses of TRUTH in the middle of their ridiculous biases and rude interruptions. 🇺🇸”