That didn’t work out for Mike Pence at all
When CNN announced yesterday morning that Mike Pence was trying to blackmail the network into airing Donald Trump’s press briefings in their entirety, we were curious to see how it would play out. Because CNN went public about Pence’s private threat to block everyone on the coronavirus response team from appearing on the network, it suggested Pence wasn’t going to get his way.
Sure enough, when the press briefing began late yesterday afternoon, CNN didn’t put it on the air. Donald Trump was talking to audiences on MSNBC and Fox News, but CNN was interviewing medical experts instead. After about twenty minutes, CNN finally did put portions of it on the air. But CNN and MSNBC both eventually ended up cutting away for good.
In other words, CNN stood its ground and did exactly what it had done the day before. We don’t agree with CNN’s approach; we think these briefings shouldn’t be on the air at all. They’re chock full of harmful false medical information, and they’re de facto campaign rallies. But good for CNN, sticking to its guns and refusing to cave to Mike Pence’s threats.
The mainstream media holds most of the power over Donald Trump and Mike Pence, who are both short on political muscle at this point, and have little leverage to work with. It’s really just a matter of when and whether the media is willing to flex its muscles against these chumps.
