CNN analyst credits Trump for not inciting supporters “in all of” his social media posts

CNN’s Paula Reid suggests that cooler heads in Trump’s orbit “are getting through,” as he continues to push conspiracy theories against looming indictment

Written by Eric Kleefeld

Published

On Monday morning, CNN senior legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid made a highly peculiar remark, crediting former President Donald Trump for not directing his supporters to protest (or towards violence) on his behalf “in all of” his social media posts about his potential indictment over hush money payments in 2016 for his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels.

Just to be clear, Trump’s posts over the weekend on his Truth Social site called for his supporters to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!,” appeared to call January 6 defendants “AMERICAN PATRIOTS,” and ominously suggested that it was wrong for the New York Police Department to be “HAVING TO DEFEND & PROTECT” the city’s political leaders during this potential prosecution, while casting himself as the NYPD’s “GREATEST CHAMPION & FRIEND.” As for his posts on Monday, Trump continued to attack the investigation in other terms, including by invoking the name of philanthropist George Soros, who is often the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories.

Appearing Monday on At This Hour with Kate Bolduan, Reid discussed her interview the previous day with Alina Habba, a Trump attorney who is working on a different case, and who predicted there would be “mayhem” if Trump were arrested. Habba had then refused to retract her statement, even after Reid put this in the context of Trump’s previous incitement of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Reid added that “a lot of folks around Trump would rather he just focus on this being a politically motivated prosecution, and not focus on calling people to protest in the wake of January 6.” Reid then concluded, “And it’s interesting today, Kate, his Truth Social posts, you don’t see call for protests in all of them. So it’s possible that they are getting through.” 

The fact that Reid would think Monday’s posts were some kind of improvement, or a sign that Trump was taking wise counsel, was yet another example of the media’s years-long search for a change in Trump’s tone, instead of confronting the obvious fact that he poses a continued threat to the country.

From the March 20, 2023, edition of CNN’s At This Hour with Kate Bolduan

KATE BOLDUAN (ANCHOR): And there’s also what the former president is saying. The former president has said that he thinks he’s going to be arrested tomorrow, he’s called for for protests from his supporters around it. You spoke with one of his attorneys. What did they say about this?

PAULA REID (CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT): Well, first, in terms of being arrested tomorrow, his team has come out publicly and said we have no reason to believe that. So, it appears that the former president is speculating about an arrest tomorrow. And yes, I did ask one of his attorneys, Alina Habba, she does not represent him in the Manhattan DA case, but she was sort of deputized to come out and talk about this case. You know, why is he speculating, and in the same sentence he’s speculating, he’s also calling for protests, is he trying to capitalize on speculating on an arrest, to instigate political violence? And she had an opportunity there to tamp down the language — she doubled on this, and said, quote, “If he is arrested, it will be mayhem.”

So, we know from our colleagues that a lot of folks around Trump would rather that he just focus on this being a politically motivated prosecution, and not focus on calling people to protest in the wake of January 6. And it’s interesting today, Kate, his Truth Social posts, you don’t see calls for protests in all of them. So, it’s possible that they are getting through. But as we know, law enforcement, they’ve been talking about these potential threats, and also just the logistics of getting the former leader of the free world through a courthouse that on a good day is a circus. It’s very chaotic, and potentially dangerous.