Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) criticized CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins while appearing live on the network and refused to say that former President Trump lost the 2020 election.
Donalds appeared on a discussion panel on CNN just after the network’s town hall with Trump.
“Town halls are for the voters, not for the press or the person who is the moderator,” Donalds said. “Kaitlan spent more time interjecting her own viewpoints or her own views on the situation ..”
Before Donalds could finish, anchor Anderson Cooper interjected to say “those are facts though.”
“Are you guys now going to interject your opinions on me or do I get a chance,” Donalds shot back.
After he voiced his disagreement with criticism of Trump earlier in the panel discussion, Donalds, a noted Trump supporter, attacked President Biden’s policy toward Ukraine, calling it a “disaster.”
Donalds also criticized Collins’ decision to ask several questions on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s repeated refusal to accept the result of the 2020 election.
That led to an argument between Donalds and several others on the panel, including former Trump White House official Alyssa Farrah, when Donalds would not say that Trump lost the 2020 election.
“Voters want to talk about the border, inflation, foreign policy,” Donalds said as the panel pressed him to say if he accepted the result of the 2020 election. “This is what’s frustrating to a lot of people. You want me to state it the way you want me to state it.”
Donalds did not concede that Trump lost the 2020 election before the panel moved the discussion to another topic.