CNN’s deceptive editing tactics took another hit on Tuesday as the network cut audio of 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s conversation with billionaire Elon Musk to give the false impression that the duo were downplaying the devastating effects of nuclear bombs.
During a cyber-attack delayed live stream on Monday, Trump and Musk engaged in a wide-ranging discussion that touched on various topics, including nuclear energy. However, when CNN’s Dana Bash initiated a panel discussion on “Inside Politics” and played a short clip of audio from the exchange, it was clear that the network was trying to push a misleading narrative.
Bash led the segment with a misleading and mis-transcribed audio clip that portrayed Trump and Musk as dismissive of the impact of nuclear bombs. “I wanna play one exchange that was kind of classic. Well, there were a lot of exchanges that were classic Donald Trump, but this one really stuck out to us,” Bash told her panelists as she played the edited clip.
The 10-second clip showed photos of Trump and Musk on-screen with a transcription of their conversation. “Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed, but now they’re, they’re like full cities again,” Musk said at the start of the clip. “Right, well, that’s great,” Trump responded, followed by Musk saying, “It’s not as scary as people think basically.”
WATCH: Fake news CNN selectively edited President @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk's conversation last night to claim they said that the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings were not a big problem.
The full context shows they were talking about nuclear energy.
All the fake news does… pic.twitter.com/Y0UilefYJp
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 13, 2024
However, when the unedited audio of the exchange was played, it revealed that the two men were actually discussing nuclear energy, not bombs. Musk had called nuclear energy “one of the safest forms of electricity generation,” and highlighted the misconception and fear surrounding it due to its name.
Trump joined in and joked about the need to rebrand nuclear energy, saying, “Maybe they’ll have to change the name! The name is the rough thing.” He then went on to mention the disasters at Fukushima in Japan and in Russia and the negative perception they have created, saying, “You realize it’s pretty bad.”
In a moment of irony, Bash then acknowledged that the conversation was, in fact, about nuclear energy and that Trump’s comments were also valid. “There they were having a conversation about nuclear energy,” she told her panel. “They did have substantive conversations about it, and what Trump said – well, first of all, I want you to react to this. What Trump was talking about there was that nuclear energy has a branding problem. He’s not wrong.”
For those who (mistakenly) think this is a radiation risk, pick what you think is the worst location. I will travel there & eat locally grown food on TV.
I did this in Japan many years ago, shortly after Fukushima. Radiation risk is much, much lower than most people believe.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 6, 2022
But the damage was already done, and CNN’s deceptive editing had once again skewed the truth and portrayed Trump in a negative light. The network had selectively chosen a small part of a lengthy conversation and twisted it to fit their narrative, completely disregarding the full context of the discussion.
This is not the first time CNN has resorted to misleading tactics to push their agenda. It’s become a pattern for the network to twist facts and omit crucial details in their reporting, especially when it involves Trump. This instance not only highlights their biased and dishonest reporting but also shows the extent to which they will go to push their own narrative, even if it means deceiving their viewers.
In reality, Trump and Musk were discussing nuclear energy and its benefits. Trump’s joke about rebranding it was a lighthearted comment that highlighted the need to change the perception of nuclear energy. But as is often the case, CNN chose to malign Trump and twist his words to fit their own agenda. It’s time for the network to stop their deceptive tactics and start focusing on honest and fair reporting. Until then, they will continue to lose credibility and the trust of their audience.
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