Both sides of the political divide expressed suspicion when the CNN forum at New Hampshire's St. Anselm College was announced last week. Some Democrats question whether the former president should be given the airtime, while Republicans wonder if a network Trump has long disparaged can be fair.Once it begins, Collins must give audience members the chance to ask questions while determining when to step in with her own.
"She has had a pretty meteoric rise at a young age because of her talent," said Maggie Haberman, New York Times correspondent and author of the Trump biography "Confidence Man." "She was a formidable White House correspondent, always calm under pressure, but she is also incredibly fair and facts-focused."
Alyssa Farah Griffin, once on Trump's communications team and now a panelist on "The View," tweeted after the forum was announced that Collins "is one of the toughest interviews out there. Anyone thinking that Trump will get away with lying without being called out needs to watch her past interviews. Honestly surprised he agreed."
"It's obvious to everyone with half a brain that Trump won't get a fair shake from CNN," wrote columnist Paula Bonyard for the conservative PJ Media. "Why does he keep prostrating himself before these dishonest left-wing media hacks?" There's also deep-seated suspicion dating to CNN's frequent coverage of Trump's rallies before the 2016 election, which gave a ratings boost to the network and outsize airtime to the first-time candidate.
It's also a reflection of the new era of leadership at the network, and management's efforts to rebuild trust as a nonpartisan news brand. To that end, current CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht has made it a goal to broaden the network's reach and ease some of the tension with Republicans, including by reportedly meeting with lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill.