Mr. Licht defended the decision to host the town hall, and said “America was served very well” by the broadcast. Mr. Cooper, the CNN anchor, argued on air that the network’s forum with Mr. Trump prepared voters to make an informed decision.

“After last night, none of us can say, ‘I didn’t know what’s out there,’” Mr. Cooper said.

Staff Revolt

Amid the difficulty, Mr. Licht has confronted a crisis of confidence among his staff members, many of whom think he is out of touch with journalists at the network.

After joining CNN last year, Mr. Licht took offices on the 22nd floor, high above the newsroom, which some of his employees interpreted as aloofness.

Some employees were particularly stung by Mr. Licht’s remarks to The Atlantic criticizing the network’s coverage of Covid-19, which many employees were hearing for the first time.

Over the last few months, many on the staff have called Mr. Licht’s predecessor, Mr. Zucker, to air their grievances about the network’s leadership since his departure. A spokeswoman for Mr. Zucker told The New York Times, “It is wholly unsurprising that Jeff Zucker, the architect of CNN’s unprecedented success, would have deep misgivings about the direction the network has taken since he left.”