4 reasons why Donald Trump is doing a CNN town hall

Strategery and such.

(Donald Trump/Getty Images)

Eight days from today, Donald Trump will appear at a town hall in New Hampshire hosted by CNN.

Which, surprising!

It’s the first time in nearly 7 years that Trump has sat for questions from CNN and the first time in nearly as long that he has subjected himself to rigorous rather than fawning questions from a media outlet.

All of which begs the question: Why is he doing it?

I’ve got four ideas to answer that question.

1. Trump wants to stick it to Fox News. For much of the past eight years, Fox has been the exclusive TV home for Trump. That has been a very good thing for its ratings — and for its hosts, like Sean Hannity, who are close to the former president.

   But Trump has been increasingly critical of Fox in recent years, insisting they aren’t supporting him as much as they should. “Too many incompetent RINOS at FoxNews!,” Trump said recently at his Truth Social website. He has also referred to Fox News boss Rupert Murdoch and other executives at the network as a “group of MAGA Hating Globalist RINOS.”

   In choosing to return to mainstream media, Trump is amping up his war on Fox News. He’s putting them on notice that they can’t just assume he will always be there for them. And that he can go anywhere else he wants — whenever he wants.

2. Trump likes to be unpredictable. The former president is a big believer in overturning expectations. He believes — and I think he’s right — that the more unpredictable he is, the more able he is to keep the spotlight on him.

   What could be more unpredictable than Trump going on CNN — the network he went to war with during his presidency and denounced, repeatedly, as “fake news?

   It’s always useful to remember that Trump is a creature of reality TV first and foremost. He is forever thinking of what makes good TV. And nothing makes better TV than doing stuff no one thinks you will.

3. The DeSantis contrast. While Trump is, at this point, way ahead of Ron DeSantis, there’s no question that the Florida governor is still much on Trump’s mind.

   DeSantis has, parroting Trump, made a name for himself in Florida by his deeply adversarial relationship with the mainstream media. He tends to only appear on friendly networks and with friendly anchors.

   Seen through that lens, Trump is doing a bit of muscle-flexing here. See, I am not afraid of anyone. I will go deep into enemy territory and emerge unscathed.

   Could Ron do this, Trump is (inherently) asking in doing the CNN town hall. And that question is aimed at sowing doubt among Republican voters who may be deciding between the two men in 2024.

4. A general election pivot. Trump hears the criticism that he is doomed in a general election because he can’t win over independents. And he know that, at least for some Republicans, concerns about his chances against Joe Biden next November continue to dog him.

   What better way to start answering those questions then to go on CNN and, in theory, talk to voters who aren’t already for you?

   How much persuasion will Trump actually engage in during the town hall? If past is prologue, not a ton. He has one setting — relentless offense — and it’s pretty much always on.

   What Trump and his team have to hope is that simply by dint of going on CNN at all, Trump will get a second look from independents who have clearly soured on him over the past few years.