Former President Donald Trump is reacting to the news that CNN+ will soon be shutting down.
In a statement on Thursday, he said, “Congratulations to CNN+ on their decision to immediately FOLD for a lack of ratings, or viewers in any way, shape, or form.”
“It was like an empty desert out there despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars and the hiring of low-rated Chris Wallace, a man who tried so hard to be his father, Mike, but lacked the talent and whatever else is necessary to be a star,” he continued.
Finally, Trump added, “In any event, it’s just one more piece of CNN and Fake News that we don’t have to bother with anymore!”
Read the statement below:
Trump statement on CNN+ pic.twitter.com/bQC3Lhopbg
— Dominick Mastrangelo (@DomMastrangelo1) April 21, 2022
The New York Times reported that Warners Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the network, decided to shut down CNN+ — which launched Mar. 29 — on April 30.
The Times noted, “Under its former president, Jeff Zucker, CNN lured big stars to CNN+, including the former ‘Fox News Sunday’ anchor Chris Wallace, the former NPR co-host Audie Cornish and the food writer Alison Roman.”
Journalist Jon Nicosia, of News Cycle Media, tweeted earlier in April that journalist Chris Wallace was “‘having daily breakdowns’ over the ‘miserable launch’ of [CNN+].”
“Wants a ‘CNN show or is threatening to walk’ they go on. ‘He is having staffers count how many times a day his promo is playing,’” he continued.
Finally, Nicosia wrote, “SOURCE CONT’D: ‘He’s telling anyone that will listen he wants Cuomo’s old time slot.’”
Wallace announced in Dec. 2021 he was leaving Fox News to move to CNN.
“I’m ready for a new adventure,” he explained to viewers of his show.
CNN+ was designed to focus on news, not entertainment, making it different from other streaming services.
However, early reports indicated that the streaming service was struggling to pick up viewers.
Axios reported, “Investment and projections for CNN+ are expected to be cut dramatically in response to a low adoption rate.”
It added that around $1 billion was expected to be invested in the streaming service over the course of four years, but, “Hundreds of millions of dollars are expected to be cut from that original investment total.”
Additionally, according to CNBC, the streaming service was drawing fewer than 10,000 people per day two weeks after it launched.