Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that he would participate in a CNN town hall — something that was news to the network.
Mr Ramaswamy posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he would participate in an event on 12 September.
“Townhall with @CNN on Tuesday, Sept 12 in New York City,” he said. “We can handle the heat. Let’s see if they can too. Buckle up.”
But two sources told Semafor that Mr Ramaswamy got ahead of the event planners and that the town hall had not been confirmed. One of the sources said the tweet may have been Mr Ramaswamy trying to “will it into existence.”
A CNN spokesman said in a statement that the network is in regular contact with all of the campaigns, including Mr Ramaswamy’s, about potential town hall events, but has not yet confirmed an event with the pharmaceuticals titan.
“The information in Mr. Ramaswamy’s post is incorrect and there is not a CNN Town Hall currently planned for September 12th,” the spokesman said.
So far, the cable news network has hosted several of the leading Republican presidential candidates for town hall events, including former president Donald Trump, former vice president Mike Pence, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.
The Ramaswamy campaign said it had been in contact with CNN, but then the event was cancelled.
“We had reached an agreement for September 12 in New York and even selected a moderator,” spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “CNN says they are looking for another date.”
In recent months, Mr Ramaswamy, a businessman from Ohio, has risen in the polls, with many of the leading Republican presidential candidates attacking him during the first primary debate last month on Fox News.
