Radio host, podcaster and author Charlamagne tha God clashed with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper over the network’s coverage of the 2024 presidential election.
Charlamagne sat down with Cooper on Thursday night, Oct. 24, to discuss the newscaster’s recent town hall with Vice President Kamala Harris.
During the pair’s conversation, the radio host questioned CNN’s coverage of Harris compared to that of former President Donald Trump.
Related: Charlamagne tha God Says ‘Weak Men’ Are Afraid of Strong Women (Video)
Charlamagne said instead of covering Trump as a “fascist” — a far-right, dictatorial leader — the network is focusing on insignificant aspects of the presidential campaign, such as Harris’ race.
“It’s crazy, because you still don’t have news networks having that conversation, like when somebody questions Kamala Harris’ Blackness or, ‘Is she a DEI hire?’ y’all will have roundtable discussions about that, asking that question,” Charlamagne said. “How come we’re not having a roundtable discussion asking, ‘Is Donald Trump a fascist?’ Actually, not even asking — he’s stating it.”
Charlamagne then cited some of Trump’s prior comments.
“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 wants to terminate the constitution, to overthrow the results of an election,” Charlamagne said.
The radio host added, “How come that is not the topic of discussion on networks like CNN every day?”
Cooper then pushed back.
“We talk about this every night,” the CNN anchor said.
Charlamagne countered, “I think I’ve heard more on this network about ‘is Kamala Harris Black’ than about Donald Trump being a fascist.”
“Honestly, that’s bulls–t,” Cooper replied. “I don’t think any anchor on this network has been going around saying, ‘Is she Black?’”
“Oh, I’ve seen that. I’ve seen those roundtable discussions a lot. Now that’s bulls–t, Anderson, for you to say that y’all don’t have those conversations,” said Charlamagne.
The radio host also argued that major networks, including CNN, have avoided “honest conversations” about Trump since 2016.
Charlamagne, whose real name is Lenard McKelvey, co-hosts “The Breakfast Club” — a nationally syndicated New York morning show. The program has welcomed guests across party lines including Harris, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Joe Biden, and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
This isn’t Charlamagne’s first time voicing opinions on Trump. Earlier this year, during an interview on ABC’s This Week, he shared his concerns over Trump’s impact on democracy.
“This is the first time in my life when people say things like, ‘this person is a threat to democracy.’ It’s absolutely true,” he said. “And it’s mind-boggling to me that nobody is taking it as serious as I feel like they should.”
During that time, Charlamagne was not fully backing the Democratic party when Biden was at the top of the ticket, but he has been supportive of Harris.
Watch the exchange between Charlamagne and Anderson Cooper below:
Discover more from Urban Hollywood 411
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
