Trump Says ‘We’re Trying to Have CNN Go on a Normal Path’ During Live Call With Jake Tapper

President Donald Trump made the unusual remark at the end of a CNN interview about the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, prompting questions about what he meant by “we” amid CNN’s changing corporate ownership.

President Donald Trump drew attention during a July 12 phone interview with CNN after saying “we’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path,” a remark that quickly circulated online.

The comment came at the end of an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, where host Jake Tapper had invited Trump to discuss the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham.

Trump spent most of the interview reflecting on Graham, describing their relationship and praising the South Carolina Republican’s role in major Senate fights, especially the confirmation battle over Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Tapper briefly tried to ask about renewed U.S.-Iran tensions, but Trump declined to shift topics, saying he wanted the interview to remain focused on Graham out of respect for the late senator.

Near the end, Tapper told Trump that CNN would welcome him back for a broader interview because there were many other issues he wanted to discuss with the president.

Trump agreed, then added that “we’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path,” before saying, “and we will do that,” according to CNN’s published transcript.

Tapper responded that he was already “on a normal path,” thanked Trump for calling, and closed the interview without pressing him to explain who he meant by “we.”

The exchange drew attention because Trump has spent years criticizing CNN, often accusing the network of unfair coverage and repeatedly using the phrase “fake news” when attacking its reporting.

The remark also arrived during a major ownership transition involving CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Skydance, whose acquisition plans had already attracted significant political and regulatory scrutiny.

In June, the Justice Department approved Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that would place CNN under the same corporate umbrella as CBS News if completed.

Trump had previously taken a direct public interest in CNN’s future ownership, saying in December 2025 that he believed it was “imperative” for the network to be sold.

That history made his use of “we” particularly notable, although the July interview itself did not establish that Trump or the White House controls CNN’s editorial decisions or corporate management.

Paramount chief David Ellison has publicly said CNN should retain editorial independence, while journalists and critics have continued debating how the proposed corporate combination could affect the network’s leadership and coverage.

Some media commentators interpreted Trump’s wording as suggesting influence over CNN’s future direction, while others treated it as another expression of his longstanding desire for friendlier or less critical coverage.

The available transcript does not show Trump admitting to a secret agreement with CNN, Paramount, or its owners, nor does it document any specific government action designed to change CNN’s journalism.

Instead, the confirmed fact is narrower: Trump said publicly on CNN that “we” were trying to put the network on what he called a “normal path.”

The interview itself was unusual because Trump has frequently clashed with CNN, yet he called into the network during a moment of national mourning and spoke cordially with Tapper for several minutes.

Graham’s death provided the immediate context. CNN reported that the senator died at 71 after a sudden illness, shortly after returning from a trip to Ukraine.

Trump told Tapper that Graham had called him shortly before his death, and he described the loss as devastating while recalling how their relationship evolved from rivalry to close political alliance.

For readers encountering the viral headline, the most accurate takeaway is that Trump made the quoted “normal path” remark live on CNN, but broader claims about what it proves remain interpretations rather than established facts.