Overview
- President Trump called into CNN’s State of the Union on July 12 to pay tribute to the late Sen. Lindsey Graham and accepted Jake Tapper’s invitation for a broader future interview.
- During the call Trump declined to discuss recent U.S. strikes or questions about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, saying he would not address those topics out of respect for Graham.
- Trump praised Graham’s Senate record on the call, singling out the senator’s defense of Brett Kavanaugh as one of his defining moments.
- Coverage links the exchange to concerns inside CNN about the June DOJ approval of Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and the new owner’s CEO, David Ellison, who is viewed as friendly with the president.
- The interview’s timing and format remain unspecified, and newsrooms and the public are watching for any editorial shifts at CNN as the merger moves toward a planned close by the end of the third quarter.