Benzinga - One of the most talked about television interviews happened Wednesday night, with former President Donald Trump taking part in a town hall on CNN.
The event was significant as it came after several major headlines involving Trump. The interview also was a long time coming, as it followed years of Trump not appearing on the cable network.
Just how long was it since the last time that Trump appeared for an interview on CNN? Leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was still trading for less than $1,000.
What Happened: Making his first appearance on CNN since 2016, Trump was interviewed by Kaitlan Collins in a town hall on Wednesday May 10, 2023.
The interview came one day after Trump was found liable for battery and defamation in a case brought to court by writer E. Jean Carroll.
Trump has previously spoken ill of CNN, with his last appearance on the network coming in 2016.
“No, not CNN please. I told you, CNN is fake news. Don’t talk to me,” Trump told Collins, who worked as a White House correspondent for CNN previously, during a 2020 briefing.
Trump’s lawyers once described CNN as a “purveyor of fake news” in a previous lawsuit.
CNN, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) has been seen as a supporter of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a potential bid for the presidency, which may also have led to Trump’s appearance on the network.
Trump’s appearance on CNN also marked a change in the former president’s preference for Fox News, which is owned by Fox Corporation (NASDAQ: FOX)(NASDAQ: FOXA). Over the years, Trump has made numerous appearances on Fox News, but a recent falling out could see Trump now decide to be interviewed elsewhere.
Trump lashed out at Fox News for their “ridiculous defense of the 2020 presidential election” and went as far as to call the network “fake news.” Trump also said that he would not commit to appearing at a Republican Party primary debate on Fox as it would be hosted by “angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors.”
Among the topics discussed between Trump and Collins Wednesday were the events of Jan. 6, 2021, the 2020 election and the pending default of the U.S. national debt.
The last time Trump spoke with CNN, an interview with Jake Tapper featured the former president commenting on Hillary Clinton, Trump’s thick skin and temperament, and a judge in a case against Trump University.
Here’s a look at how Bitcoin and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE: SPY) have performed since the last Trump interview.
Related Link: How To Buy Bitcoin
Investing $1,000 in Bitcoin: Trump’s last interview with CNN aired on June 5, 2016, with Tapper interviewing Trump ahead of the 2016 election.
An investor could have purchased 1.7158 BTC on the day the interview aired, based on the intraday high ($582.81) for the leading cryptocurrency.
The $1,000 investment would be worth $46,627.53 today, based on a price of $27,175.39 at the time of writing. This represents a return of 4,562.8% since the Trump interview aired.
The same $1,000 invested in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, which tracks the S&P 500, would be worth $1,955.58 today. This represents a return of 95.6% since the interview between Trump and Tapper aired on CNN.
Trump won the 2016 election, and the stock market enjoyed several years of positive returns. Bitcoin posted returns that significantly outperformed leading stock market indexes.
While Trump didn’t mention Bitcoin in the 2016 interview, the hypothetical investment shows how much the price of the leading cryptocurrency has grown over the last eight years, even with a significant pullback from all-time highs realized in November 2021.
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