Even though President Trump has regularly derided CNN throughout his presidency, he may very well have been close to having a show on the network.
CNN chief Jeff Zucker floated the idea of a “weekly” show to Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen in March 2016, according to a recording of a phone call between the two that was released on Tuesday’s episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight.
“I have all these proposals for him,” Zucker, who was the president of CNN Worldwide at the time, told Cohen. “I want to do a weekly show with him and all this stuff.”
During the conversation, which took place on March 10, 2016, Zucker provided Cohen with advice for how Trump should respond to attacks from opposing presidential candidates at a GOP debate scheduled for that night. CNN hosted that debate.
“I think the other guys are going to gang up on him tremendously … and I think he’s going to hold his own, as he does every time. He’s never lost a debate. And you know what? He’s good at this … He’s going to do great,” Zucker said, noting that the campaign should have someone repeatedly call him “con man” to prepare him for the attacks from his opponents.
Zucker also referred to Trump as “the boss” during the conversation and specifically noted that he “can’t have” Trump mentioning their conversations, which is why “I’m very conscious of not putting too much in email.”
This is the second time Carlson has released tapes from CNN staff. Last week, he aired a tape purportedly of network anchor Chris Cuomo dismissing allegations that he sexually harassed women while working at ABC during a conversation with Cohen. Carlson said he will air another portion of the Cuomo tape on his show Wednesday.
