CNN Boss Drops Bombshell on Top Journalists as Trump 2.0 Kicks Off: Report
CNN Boss Directs Top Journalists to Refrain From Attacking Trump in Second Presidency: Report
A new report revealed that CNN president Mark Thompson has directed the network’s top journalists to avoid “pre-judging” President Donald Trump, urging a more neutral and open-minded approach to covering his second inauguration.
Thompson held a virtual editorial meeting with over 100 staffers, including prominent figures like Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper, to lay out new guidelines for CNN’s coverage on Sunday, according to the Status newsletter.
Thompson’s orders aimed to distance the network from its past hostile coverage of Trump. He emphasized that CNN should avoid “relitigating the past” and steer clear of focusing on Trump’s legal issues, including the Stormy Daniels hush money controversy, as reported by the New York Post.
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Instead, he asked CNN journalists to focus on Trump’s second term, calling for a “fair-minded” approach that would show the new administration in a balanced light.
During the meeting, Thompson cautioned the journalists against expressing personal outrage or inserting their own opinions into the coverage. This guidance came amid criticism of CNN’s historically tense relationship with the president.
Thompson emphasized that CNN staff should be “tough-minded” but “fair-minded” in their reporting.
Despite the serious tone, the call reportedly concluded without any staff members questioning Thompson’s instructions, suggesting that there was little resistance to the new direction. The following day, Thompson convened another editorial call to reiterate his message.
This change in tone represents a noticeable shift from the network’s coverage during Jeff Zucker’s tenure, where CNN’s journalists, including reporter Jim Acosta, frequently clashed with the Trump administration. Under Zucker, CNN was often seen as one of the most critical news outlets in its reporting on Trump, according to The Post.
However, Thompson’s new guidelines come at a time when CNN is under pressure to improve its ratings. The network has struggled to compete with the ratings dominance of Fox News and MSNBC, particularly during Trump’s second inauguration.
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The data indicates that Fox News was the leading network during the inauguration, attracting 10.3 million viewers. By comparison, CNN’s coverage drew 1.135 million total viewers, peaking at 1.8 million during Trump’s oath of office and inaugural speech.
Despite this, CNN highlighted its success in digital platforms, including CNN.com and CNN Max, which saw record engagement on Inauguration Day.
Viewership for Trump’s second inauguration was notably lower than his first in 2017, which drew 30.6 million viewers. The 2025 inauguration garnered only around 24.6 million viewers, marking a significant drop in television audiences for major events.
CNN’s performance, while lower than its competitors, reflected a broader trend of decreasing cable viewership.
Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s corporate parent, has made it clear that the network must adopt a more neutral tone in its coverage of Trump’s second term. As part of this shift, Thompson also reportedly plans to move Jim Acosta’s nightly show to midnight, a time when the network typically experiences lower viewership.
Thompson’s editorial guidance is seen as a strategy to redefine CNN’s role in covering the Trump presidency, focusing on neutrality and avoiding the combative style that marked its coverage of the first Trump administration.
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