CNN Anchors at War: Testy Jake Tapper Caught on Hot Mic Demanding 'Give Me My Show Back' — as Anderson Cooper Hogged His Air-Time
Jake Tapper seemed flustered while reporting from Anchorage.
Aug. 16 2025, Published 11:15 a.m. ET
CNN anchor Jake Tapper was caught complaining about Anderson Cooper taking all the air-time on a hot mic during Donald Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, RadarOnline.com can report.
Hot Mic Moment
Anderson Cooper smiled before jokingly handing the show back to Tapper.
On Friday, August 15, while broadcasting live from Anchorage, Alaska, Tapper was caught in a candid exchange with a producer just as Cooper handed off coverage.
Tapper could be heard saying with some exasperation: "I'm fine. Just give me my show back."
Cooper, smiling at the unexpected moment, replied with a quick nudge: "Your show's back!"
A somewhat flustered Tapper then moved on to introduce California Senator Adam Schiff for commentary on the press conference, as laughter could be heard from the CNN studio.
Technical difficulties persisted throughout the network's coverage. At one point, Tapper lost connection with Schiff, prompting him to apologize on air.
At the end of the interview, the CNN host said: "We're having real comms problems today. I'm sorry about that. If anybody can hear me, let's go throw it back to New York."
Tapper and Cooper
Jake Tapper has been critical of President Donald Trump.
Tapper criticized Trump in July over his attacks on CNN, saying it was not a journalist's job to "protect his feelings".
Cooper, meanwhile, drew controversy in February after telling former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu not to "be a d***", later issuing an apology for his outburst.
The on-air slip on Friday added to a tense broadcast day for CNN as it navigated technical hurdles during one of the most closely watched diplomatic encounters in recent years.
The Trump-Putin Summit
Trump met with Putin to work on a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The Trump-Putin summit lasted more than three hours, but ended without a ceasefire or peace agreement in Ukraine.
Trump admitted: "We didn't get there. But we have a very good chance of getting there."
In an unusual move, the U.S. president allowed Putin to speak first at the press conference. He then declined to answer any questions before shaking hands with the Russian leader and leaving the stage.
Putin expressed optimism about their talks, saying the two leaders had agreed on security issues in Ukraine and reached an understanding that would "pave the path toward peace".
Before departing, Trump told Putin he expected further conversations. The dictator, speaking in English, replied: "Next time in Moscow."
Trump said: "Oh, that's an interesting one. I'll get a little heat on that one, but I could see it possibly happening."
Their joint appearance before reporters lasted just 12 minutes following the extended closed-door meeting.
Post Summit
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Donald Trump was tight lipped about what his discussed with Putin in private.
Reflecting on the summit, Trump said he would soon brief others on the outcomes.
He explained: "I'm going to start making a few phone calls and tell them what happened. But we had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to, and there are just a very few that are left.
"Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant."
In a follow-up interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump was asked to reveal the key issue still unresolved.
He responded: "No, I'd rather not. I guess somebody is going to go public with it, they'll figure it out, but no, I don't want to do that. I want to see if we can get it done."
