An influential CNN executive has been overtly anti-Trump on social media, an unusual move for a news network honcho, but a CNN employee-turned-media critic took notice to the latest snarky tweet.
On Thursday evening, President Trump mocked Chris Cuomo’s ratings after “Cuomo Prime Time” failed to finish the second quarter of 2020 among the 15 most-watched programs on cable news among total viewers.
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CNN head of strategic communications Matt Dornic responded directly to the president on Twitter.
“CNN is not seeking a new head of programming. But there is a job opening up at the White House,” Dornic wrote.
This is hardly the first time that CNN executives have mocked the president in a public setting, which is historically rare for news network management. Dornic is outspoken on Twitter about his disdain for Trump’s anti-CNN tweets on a regular basis, as is the network’s verified communications department Twitter account – the very same department that Dornic oversees.
CNN political analyst and editor-at-large Chris Cillizza liked the latest jab, captioning the tweet, “And this is why Dornic is the absolute best.”
But not everybody agrees with Cillizza.
Former CNN senior digital producer Steve Krakauer, who now edits the Fourth Watch media newsletter, pointed out that executives from other networks wouldn’t get away with such partisan opinion.
“I have to say, there’s something refreshing about a CNN executive feeling completely unrestrained in stating his personal political objective of electing Joe Biden. I do wonder what the media reaction would be if a Fox News exec did this in 2012 responding to President Obama,” Krakauer wrote.
When reached for comment, Dornic directed Fox News to a follow-up tweet he sent on Thursday when a user responded by telling him not to get “arrogant” about the upcoming election. “Learn from 2016,” the user wrote.
“Not a prediction. A fact. There is a job opening up, which is why we’re having an election,” Dornic responded.
The CNN exec declined additional comment.
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Dornic has also retweeted anti-Trump messages from Hillary Clinton, The Lincoln Project and George Conway over the past few days. Earlier this week, CNN’s verified public relations Twitter account talked down to the president in response to a different Trump tweet about cable news ratings.
“This is exhausting. But [White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany] says you can read and also consume intelligence verbally. So consider reading this or asking one of your staffers to read it aloud to you,” the @CNNPR handle wrote, linking to a press release about the network’s recent ratings.
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“Cuomo Prime Time” was actually CNN’s most-watched show during the second quarter of 2020, but only finished No. 17 overall among cable news programs – behind 13 Fox News shows and three MSNBC shows.
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The primetime CNN show finished behind a variety of daytime offerings on the other cable news stations such as “Outnumbered,” “The Daily Briefing with Dana Perino,” "Bill Hemmer Reports” and even MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House.”
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