CNN host Anderson Cooper defended the network’s coverage of Vice President Kamala Harris and how he questioned her during a recent presidential election town hall in Pennsylvania during his show on Thursday.
Radio host Charlamagne Tha God confronted Cooper about not talking about Donald Trump’s fascist-like rhetoric on CNN as much as the political commentator and other broadcasters on the network discuss Harris’ blackness.
Cooper also responded to his backlash for interrupting and doubling down on questions to the Democratic candidate at Wednesday’s town hall. Some critics accused Cooper of holding Harris, a Black woman, to a higher standard.
“I came across this whole inundation from people who are Harris supporters saying to me online today, like, how dare you, what a betrayal that you would ask [Harris] these questions,” Cooper said.
“And I’m like, you misunderstand what my job is. I’m not on MSNBC, no disrespect; they’re talented, but I don’t watch it,” he added. “I’m not interested in watching what these overpaid, blow-dried anchors think. And I include myself in that overpaid, blow-dried, although I don’t blow dry, I am overpaid. But I’m not interested in the anchor’s opinion. I’m interested in facts and letting the viewers make up their own minds.”
During the event in suburban Philadelphia’s Delaware County, Cooper pressed Harris on the Biden administration’s handling of illegal immigration and her flip-flopping stance on fracking, pushing her to explain how her current stances differ from those she held as a presidential candidate in 2020.
Critics slammed Cooper for grilling Harris relentlessly while Trump dodged scrutiny altogether by skipping the event, seemingly getting a free pass from reporters.
“Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are not taking the same exam, and I think it bothers people,” said political commentator Van Jones. “He gets to be lawless; she has to be flawless. That’s what’s unfair.”
Cooper got flak online for the MSNBC-related statement.
“Actually, the majority of MSNBC anchors actually got their jobs with merit and not based on who their parents were,” one person said, referring to Anderson Cooper’s mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, a famous American artist, fashion designer and socialite, who reportedly left him over a million dollars in inheritance.
Meanwhile, Charlamagne made Cooper trip over his words Thursday evening on “Anderson Cooper 360” when he called him out on what the radio host claimed is the lack of conversations held on CNN regarding Trump’s violent and “unpatriotic” statements.
Charlamagne questioned why CNN has “roundtable discussions” questioning Harris’ Blackness and doesn’t have as many conversations asking if Trump is a fascist.
“Actually, not even asking it, stating it,” Charlamagne stressed. “I mean, when you look at the things that he’s talking about doing; jailing journalists, jailing his political opponents, turning the military on American citizens. The guy said he wanted to terminate the constitution to overthrow the results of an election, how come that is not the topic of discussion on networks like CNN every day?”
Instead of directly answering the question, the CNN host alluded to Harris being “crafted,” saying that Trump is “authentic,” before going off topic a bit by mentioning Trump having an interview planned with podcaster Joe Rogan.
Cooper asked Charlamagne if he thinks Harris should appear on Rogan’s show.
“I think that she should keep calling Donald Trump a fascist,” he shot back. “And I think that Americans need to keep looking at the rhetoric of Donald Trump because I don’t know why we’re even thinking about electing somebody who’s talking about putting people in camps.”
“I don’t know why we want to elect somebody who’s talking about mass deportation,” he continued. “I don’t know why we’re having this conversation about somebody who wants to terminate the constitution to overthrow the results of the election. Aren’t we supposed to be a patriotic country?”
“But a guy can say he wants to terminate the — to overthrow the results of an election and nobody cares,” Charlamagne asked Cooper. “Even me bringing it up now, you brought it back to Kamala and Joe Rogan. Anderson, who gives a damn?”
Charlamagne asked the CNN host if Trump’s “rhetoric doesn’t scare people.” To which Cooper stuttered as he began to say, “We talk about this every single day — every night.”
Charlamagne emphasized that he doesn’t believe it’s talked about enough on CNN.
“I feel like I’ve heard more on this network about ‘is Kamala Harris black,’ than I do about, you know, Donald Trump being a fascist. Am I wrong, Angela?” bringing political commentator Angela Rye into the debate.
Despite addressing Rye, Cooper chimed back in snappily.
“Honestly, that’s bullsh-t,” he barked back.
Both Charlamagne and Rye were taken aback before Cooper tried to smooth things over by telling the radio personality that he’s a “huge fan” of his.
“But to say that we’re sitting around discussing ‘is Kamala Harris Black, like,” Cooper trailed off.
Charlamagne and Rye continued to press their point, which Cooper took personally, stressing that he hadn’t actually asked anyone about Harris’ race before their appearance on his show.
“He said the network,” she clarified.
Cooper continued to deny that Harris’ Blackness has been a topic of discussion on the network, but Rye wasn’t having it.
“It has definitely been,” she started before Cooper interrupted her to defend himself and CNN. He said that CNN may have had “nutty people” or people who have strongly held beliefs” before Rye cackled at the defending remarks.
Cooper said he believes it’s “important to get people’s different viewpoints as long as they’re willing to have a legitimate conversation.”
“I think no network has honest conversations about Donald Trump,” Charlamagne said incredibly. “No one has had an honest conversation about Donald Trump since 2016.”
