CNN President Jeff Zucker: From Friend to Opponent of the President

The Halo Painter

Looking at the heated war between US President Donald Trump and the press recently, no one is too surprised by the White House boss's latest letter accusing and criticizing the new CNN President. However, many people must also remember that, before being elected President, Mr. Trump was a leading billionaire in the US - the center of attention for every move of the press every day, every hour.

With his immense wealth and influence, Mr. Trump quickly became a media star. Of course, behind that halo are always solid stepping stones. And it is worth mentioning that Jeff Zucker - the current President of CNN was once a "voluntary road-runner" for billionaire - media star Donald Trump.

Of course, at that time, Jeff Zucker had not yet joined CNN but worked at NBC News. Jeff Zucker's invitation to participate in the famous TV show "The Apprentice" - "The Apprentice" can be said to be the "pedestal" for Donald Trump's impressive victory in the 2016 US presidential election.

Portrait of CNN President Jeff Zucker, Photo: CNN

It should also be mentioned that Jeff Zucker's influence in the media industry at that time was as great as Mr. Trump's in the American business and investment world! It is understandable, because the reputation of NBC Universal Media Group Director Jeff Zucker had been built since 1986 when he started working here from the smallest positions. Of course, before joining the media industry, Jeff Zucker also had a solid foundation when he graduated from Harvard University with a major in American history.

Born in 1965, the son of a cardiologist and an English teacher, Jeff, at the age of 21 - in 1986, was selected by NBC Sports as a researcher and consultant for the Summer Olympics held 2 years later - in 1988.

By 1992, at the age of 26, Jeff Zucker had become the producer of NBC News’s “Today” morning show. Three years later, NBC executives increasingly recognized Jeff’s “hyper-competitive” skills in managing audience preferences, appointing him as executive producer of the corporation’s television network. By 2000, Jeff was trusted to be nominated to head NBC Entertainment, even though he had never had a day’s experience in Hollywood.

However, things did not go well after that as the ratings of NBC's entertainment channels continued to drop. In search of a breakthrough, Jeff decided to buy the copyright of "The Apprentice" - a reality TV show. The opportunity came when Jeff invited billionaire Donald Trump to participate as MC and producer.

Immediately after the series premiere in 2004, “The Apprentice” turned Mr. Trump into a big TV star and also brought Jeff a big gift when just 3 years later - in 2007, he officially became the CEO of NBC Universal. At that time, not only did they cooperate effectively, but Jeff also always stood by his side, not sparing no words of praise for his colleague Donald Trump "as a big star with the demeanor of a politician". And that Mr. Trump is a strong person, a PR representative for himself, and turns every opportunity into results beyond expectations... Of course, Jeff also completely believes that Mr. Trump could hardly become President without the fame and halo of the brand "The Apprentice"!

A close photo of Jeff Zucker when he was the Director of NBC Universal Media Group and Mr. Donald Trump before running for US President in 2008. Photo: Wire Image

Archenemy

Despite his success at NBC Universal, Jeff decided to leave NBC Universal in 2011 after the American company Comcast bought all of the corporation's shares. In his new role as President of CNN since 2012, Jeff Zucker leads a team of more than 4,000 employees of a network of more than 20 news brands, including: CNN TV channel, CNN International news channel present in more than 200 countries, the world's leading news website CNN.com... And this decision also opens a new chapter in Jeff's relationship with his "former partner" who is now the current President Donald Trump.

Appearing and accompanying Jeff Zucker for a long time in his career, but Mr. Trump began to create a different image and perspective when he "moved" into politics. Meanwhile, Jeff and CNN's different purpose also increasingly pushed both of them to opposite sides of the battle line.

During the decisive phase of the 2016 US presidential election, most major newspapers in the US, including CNN, publicly did not support Mr. Trump. After that, not only CNN's news and television channels but also President Jeff himself had to face harsh criticism from the President. It is not surprising that the war between the media and the US President became increasingly heated, when Mr. Donald Trump openly confronted and criticized, calling media channels including CNN "fake".

There have been plenty of heated clashes. In 2017, CNN President Jeff Zucker personally criticized the President’s “bullying behavior” when Trump posted a video of him punching a man whose face was covered with the CNN logo.

In 2018, CNN sued President Trump and White House officials for revoking the press pass of its reporter Jim Acosta. Most recently, Donald Trump has launched a campaign to force CNN to apologize and retract information about a recent poll showing former Vice President Joe Biden ahead of the current President in terms of approval ratings.

Donald Trump's success always has the shadow of Jeff Zucker. Photo: The Wrap

According to a letter sent to CNN President Jeff Zucker, the Trump administration accused the news agency of misleading voters through a biased questionnaire. However, CNN spokesman Matt Dornic affirmed that the news agency was responsible for the poll, which was conducted publicly; and completely denied the President's allegations. And David Vigilante - CNN's Executive Vice President sarcastically said, "This is the first time in the 40-year history of development that CNN has been legally threatened by a politician and his campaign team, simply because they did not like the results of CNN's opinion poll."

Regarding his “old friend” President Donald Trump, Chairman Jeff shared that he personally has not spoken directly to him for over a year. However, Chairman Jeff always gives Mr. Trump an interview invitation with CNN - the only major American press agency that he has not spoken to or given an interview with since becoming President.

Mr. Jeff in a recent statement also affirmed that:“CNN is not pro-Trump but not anti-Trump either, CNN supports the truth.!".However, Jeff also admitted that supporting the truth in the current context could also be opposing President Trump. This statement is no different from an affirmation that CNN and President Donald Trump will still be on opposite sides of the conflict; and an interview with CNN may still seem like a fantasy!

Khang Duy