'A Major Inflection Point': CNN's Kaitlan Collins Defends Town Hall With Donald Trump After Network Faces 'Fury of Criticism'

Kaitlan Collins stood by her town hall coverage after her 70-minute meeting with former president Donald Trump, addressing the controversy on CNN Primetime.

RadarOnline.com has learned the struggling media network faced a "fury of criticism" both internally and externally after putting the GOP frontrunner on-air and giving Trump a forum on Wednesday night.

CNN senior reporter Oliver Darcy said that how CEO Chris Licht and other CNN executives move forward "in the coming days and weeks will be crucial."

Collins defended their town hall on Thursday, elaborating on why the segment was important to share with their audience.

"Good evening and thanks for joining me. About last night," Collins began in a lime green pantsuit, reporting on how the time she spent on stage with Trump in New Hampshire "was a major inflection point in the Republican Party's search for its nominee, and potentially the starting line for America's next presidential race."

"It's important to remember that he is right now the GOP frontrunner. A race that he is running, as noted, while being criminally indicted, found civilly liable, and under investigation for everything from his handling of classified documents to his business empire," she continued. "Also notable is the Republican reaction on Capitol Hill today to someone who could easily once again become their party's nominee."

As the primetime segment went on, CNN aired short clips featuring interviews with Sen. Mitt Romney and Sen. Todd Young, the latter who said he wouldn't be supporting Trump in the Republican primary.

"I think people saw last night what they would get with another term of Donald Trump as president, which is a completely untethered to the truth," Romney echoed.

Despite facing backlash, Collins' town hall with Trump impressed Licht, according to former CNN star Brian Stelter, who reported that Licht "couldn't be more proud" of her performance and ability to navigate moderating while fact-checking Trump's remarks.

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Insiders said that Trump's inner circle was very pleased with how he handled the questions during town hall. The 2024 hopeful insisted "many minds were changed" during his televised event.

Meanwhile, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper also spoke out against the criticism on Thursday night. "You have every right to be outraged today and angry and never watch this network again," Cooper said. "But do you think staying in your silo and only listening to people you agree with is going to make that person go away?"