CNN Head Zucker Proposed 'Weekly Show' To Trump, Gave Tips For 2016 Presidential Debate

Sumaira FH Published September 09, 2020 | 06:53 PM

CNN head Jeff Zucker appears to have offered US President Donald Trump advice for a presidential debate back in 2016, claimed he could not win the race without the broadcaster's support, and proposed that he do a "weekly show" on CNN, according to leaked audio obtained by Fox News host Tucker Carlson

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th September, 2020) CNN head Jeff Zucker appears to have offered US President Donald Trump advice for a presidential debate back in 2016, claimed he could not win the race without the broadcaster's support, and proposed that he do a "weekly show" on CNN, according to leaked audio obtained by Fox news host Tucker Carlson.

The newly revealed audio contains a conversation that took place on March 10, 2016, between Zucker - who now presides over one of the most fervently anti-Trump media outlets in the US - and then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen, with the former arguing "you cannot be elected president of the United States without CNN" and referring to Trump as "the boss."

"And, you know, as fond as I am of the boss, he also has a tendency, like, you know, if I call him or I email him, he then is capable of going out at his next rally and saying that we just talked and I can't have that, if you know what I'm saying," Zucker was heard saying.

Later, the CNN head talked himself back into calling Trump to "wish him luck in the debate tonight," referring to that night's presidential debate for the Republican Party primaries hosted by the broadcaster.

Zucker, who previously worked with Trump as the former CEO of NBC Universal at the height of the popularity of Trump's reality show "The Apprentice," then floated potential post-election plans for the politician.

"I have all these proposals for him], I want to do a weekly show with him and all this stuff," Zucker told Cohen.

In addition, the CNN chief offered Cohen some tips for Trump's presidential debate, in particular for how the president-to-be could deflect allegations that he is a "con man."