Jake Tapper rebuked his CNN producers for continuing to show footage of former President Trump celebrating with his supporters after he pleaded not guilty to federal charges in a nearby courtroom Tuesday.
Trump stopped at the Versailles restaurant in Miami where he was greeted by religious leaders and supporters who prayed with him and sang "Happy Birthday" in honor of the former president's birthday Wednesday.
CNN aired the scene and longtime anchor Tapper told viewers, "And as we watch Donald Trump attempt to turn his arrest and indictment into some sort of campaign commercial, we need to remember that the reason we are watching this is because Donald Trump is accused of breaking some very serious national security laws and then obstructing and refusing to cooperate with the FBI."
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When the footage continued playing on the screen, Tapper appeared angry about the network showing Trump turning his recent court hearing into a "spectacle."
"The folks in the control room, I don't need to see any more of that. He's trying to turn this into a spectacle, a campaign ad. That's enough of that," Tapper said.
The footage of Trump inside the café came shortly after he was booked and pleaded not guilty to 37 felony charges related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
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MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace made a similar remark to cut away from footage of Trump during her coverage on "Deadline: White House."
"I want to explain the picture on our screen. Trump has gone to a famous place that all Republican candidates and probably Democrat candidates go as well. It’s Versailles. It’s a little Havana in the Miami area. He’s still a candidate for president. That's the picture over your brilliant words, we don't need to see that anymore, we know where he is," Wallace said.
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This marked the first time that a former U.S. has faced federal criminal charges. Despite the proceedings, Trump remains the current frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
