Cruz Hits CNN for Giving Trump 'Hours of Free Media' — Right After, Cooper Fires Sharp Response Back

CNN host Anderson Cooper pushed back Tuesday night when Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized the news media for giving countless hours of "free media" to Donald Trump.

The Texas senator seemed to place some blame on CNN and Fox News for the brash billionaire's 2016 success.

"How many hours of free media does CNN and Fox and every other station — you let him call in. And for a year he got $2 billion in free media," Cruz said.

"We've asked you for interviews pretty much every day and you've declined every offer on my program," Cooper shot back.

"You can come on any time," the CNN host added.

Cooper is not the only member of the media to express frustration booking Cruz. Earlier this year, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said he had been trying to book the Texas senator for weeks to no avail. Cruz has since appeared on his program.

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