For the second straight day, CNN This Morning host Audie Cornish served up rigorously curated anecdotal voices to counsel broad financial discontent underneath President Trump.
On Monday, we caught Cornish spotlighting one Republican voter — out of tens of hundreds of thousands nationwide — to suggest GOP unease over the financial system.
On Tuesday, she swapped that single ballot respondent for a montage of social media complaints.
The phase opened with a younger lady declaring, “All the things is so costly, and our wages haven’t modified.” Minutes later, viewers noticed a trio of social media clips — together with that very same younger lady once more — lamenting excessive grocery costs, gasoline prices, and profit cuts.
Sure, Cornish thought that first clip was so good, she performed it twice.
One younger man asserted that “Most individuals are dropping issues like SNAP, WIC, issues of that nature, and might’t even afford to reside,” audibly stressing the phrase.
Apparently, survival itself is now doubtful. Cornish supplied no pushback on that hyperbolic declare. Not solely are “most individuals” not on meals stamps, the “cuts” are about observing work necessities on your meals. However CNN likes the sound of Trump ravenous folks.
Viewers weren’t advised who these people have been, how their clips have been chosen, whether or not their views have been consultant, and even which platforms they got here from.
Cornish turned to nonbinary panelist V Spehar as a result of she “lives in TikTok land,” though the clips themselves carried no seen TikTok branding and have been described solely as coming from “social media.”
Then got here the second of candor.
Cornish acknowledged, “In TikTok land, I notice everybody’s algorithm is biased.”
Exactamundo, Audie! And it’s apparent what your bias is!
Cornish Admits Algorithm Bias — However Ignores Her Personal in Social Media Assault on Trump’s Economic system@CNNThisMorning @AudieCornish @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/sesVstzVHf
— Mark Finkelstein (@markfinkelstein) February 24, 2026
Spehar briefly went off script, noting that immigration “is unquestionably nonetheless the factor” dominating on-line dialog — contradicting the heavy emphasis on financial angst.
However V rapidly made amends, suggesting many individuals on-line are much less focused on Trump’s speech than in listening to the response from the Mamdani-affiliated Working Households Occasion.
Two days. 4 anecdotal voices. No context. All criticizing Trump. No less than former Trump communications director Mike Dubke was readily available to clarify how Trump’s speech would reset points for the midterm elections.
In selecting viewpoints from “common Individuals,” CNN didn’t expose algorithmic bias. It demonstrated it.
Here is the transcript.
CNN This Morning2/24/266:00 am ET
AUDIE CORNISH: At this time within the Group Chat, President Trump’s deal with to the nation. Voters need to hear how he’ll decrease excessive costs. So is he going to ship?
YOUNG WOMAN IN SOCIAL MEDIA CLIP: All the things is so costly, and our wages have not modified.
. . .
PRESIDENT TRUMP: If I got here up with a remedy for most cancers, they might say, he ought to have carried out it years in the past. There’s not a factor I can do the place these folks [points to media members in audience] are going to present me credit score.
CORNISH: President Trump’s skeptical that he’ll change numerous minds together with his State of the Union deal with.
Good morning, all people. I am Audie Cornish. We start with tonight’s speech. In some ways, it’s a take a look at run for the GOP message as midterms strategy. Overwhelmingly, Individuals throughout all events need the president to deal with the financial system and rising costs.
OLDER MAN IN SOCIAL MEDIA CLIP: The price of residing, the price of groceries, the price of gasoline.
YOUNGER MAN IN SOCIAL MEDIA CLIP: Most individuals are dropping issues like SNAP, WIC, issues of that nature, they usually cannot even afford to Iive, but [alone] purchase meals.
SAME YOUNG WOMAN FROM FIRST CLIP: At the moment, to offer gasoline, meals, clothes, homes. All the things is so costly, and our wages have not modified.
CORNISH: It would not appear to be they are going to get the solutions they need, at the very least not but.
TRUMP: We have now a rustic that is now doing nicely. We have now the best financial system we have ever had. We have now essentially the most exercise we have ever had. I am making a speech tomorrow night time, and you will be listening to me say that. I imply, it is going to be an extended speech as a result of we’ve a lot to speak about.
CORNISH: At this time within the group chat, Stephen Collinson, CNN Politics senior reporter, Mike Dubke, former Trump White Home communications director, and V. Spehar digital journalist and creator at Underneath the Desk Information.
So I really feel like with that quantity of clips from social media, V., I need to begin with you. You reside in TikTok land.
V SPEHAR: I do.
CORNISH: And I notice everybody’s algorithm is biased. However what are you seeing? Are you seeing individuals who do assume the financial system is the factor, or is immigration the factor they’re speaking about?
SPEHAR: So, immigration is unquestionably nonetheless the factor they’re speaking about. I believe what has been fascinating is the truth that it seems that of us on social media do not have numerous excessive hopes or expectations for what he’ll truly say tonight.
A number of of us are trying in the direction of, like, the Working Household Occasion response after the speech, or how that is going to manifest into coverage in a while. However what I am listening to is, of us are confused. One, ought to they watch within the first place or is it simply one other marketing campaign rally? And two, what does this matter? What’s it going to alter for them of their day by day life?
