CNN’s Brian Stelter ridiculed after foisting bait-and-switch theory on followers to promote his newsletter

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Stelter claims Trump is ‘poisoning the American people’

Brian Stelter claims President Trump is ‘poisoning the American people’ with anti-media rhetoric.

CNN’s Brian Stelter was widely mocked on Monday after floating the theory that President Trump is simply an unwitting parrot of the media he consumes, only to admit the hot take was merely bait-and-switch clickbait to get more eyeballs on his newsletter.

“How'd we get here, with Trump on the verge of impeachment? His sources of information led him astray. He was misinformed by the shows and sites he was watching and reading,” Stelter tweeted Monday night with a link to "Reliable Sources."

CNN'S BRIAN STELTER WIDELY RIDICULED AFTER BLAMING TECH ISSUES FOR BIZARRE ANTI-TRUMP SEGMENT

Stelter’s tweet was hit with an onslaught of backlash, with many noting it appeared he was making excuses for Trump. That was a shock to followers, as Stelter is reliably an anti-Trump pundit. Stelter responded by telling followers he views Twitter as “a promotional tool so that people will click” the link to his newsletter, where he instead indicated that Trump is indeed responsible for his own actions.

CNN’s Brian Stelter urged followers to click the link in his tweet before criticizing his theory about President Trump.

Longtime cable news producer Andy Levy pointed out that not everyone bothers to read the newsletter of the low-rated talk show host, while others mocked the bait-and-switch.

Stelter’s initial point was widely ridiculed by people who apparently didn’t click on his newsletter.

CNN anchor-turned media executive Soledad O’Brien even disagreed with Stelter’s tweet.

Stelter responded directly to much of the criticism, urging angry followers to read the newsletter where he said Trump “was misinformed by the shows and sites he was watching and reading” before issuing his disclaimer.

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"Trump is responsible for what he did. But what he was hearing from right-wing media was crucial. The conspiratorial bent of his favorite talk shows was critical,” Stelter wrote before concluding that “Pro-Trump media bubble did not actually help Trump. To the contrary, it led him to the brink of impeachment.”