Trump repeats many falsehoods and mocks sexual assault in CNN town hall

Former President Donald Trump has used the long-awaited return of cable news to the mainstream to give a broader American public a candid view of what he has been saying at rallies and in the right-wing media. The televised CNN town hall opened with President Trump repeatedly refusing to concede defeat in the 2020 election and defending a mob of his supporters who have impeded a peaceful transition of power.

Responding to CNN host Kaitlan Collins’ opening question asking him to accept the 2020 results, Trump said, “If you look at what happened in that election, unless you’re a very stupid person, what happened?” You will know,” he said. “It was a rigged election,” he added, making false allegations.

He also called Jan. 6, 2021, a “wonderful day” when a violent mob of supporters stormed police and broke into the Capitol to sabotage his election defeat. He said Ashley Babbitt, a mobster killed by police who tried to break into the House floor, should not have been shot. He denied that then-Vice President Mike Pence was in danger, hiding from a mob advocating hanging. And he repeated his promise to forgive the riot participants.

Trump’s enduring popularity within the Republican Party has been shown since Wednesday’s start of the Manchester, New Hampshire, city hall, where the audience for the live studio broadcast was largely Republicans and the 2024 presidential primary, the nation’s first. were some of the undeclared voters who were more likely to vote in They gave Trump a standing ovation as he took the stage.

City Hall took place the day after a New York jury concluded that Trump was responsible for the sexual abuse and subsequent defamation of author E. Gene Carroll, drawing criticism from some Republicans. , which prompted other Republicans to once again question his eligibility. The news from Carroll’s verdict did not dampen Trump’s enthusiasm for city hall, with advisers saying he was excited and eager to go.

He reiterated on Wednesday night that he never knew Carroll and accused him of lying and mocking her account of assaulting her backstage at Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s. The former president, who did not testify at the trial, used CNN’s town hall stage to try to debunk Mr. Carroll’s story one by one, drawing laughter and applause from some of the Republican and independent voter audiences. collected.

Trump claimed to rarely visit Bergdorf Goodman and tried to question Carroll’s account of following her into an unlocked dressing room.

“What kind of woman would meet someone, approach him, and within minutes go hunky-panky in the dressing room,” Trump said, prompting some laughter from the audience. “I don’t know if she was married at the time.”

President Trump said he owned the Plaza Hotel next door, which was “very famous at the time,” and said, “I don’t go to the changing rooms of crowded department stores.” He also noted that the jury dismissed Carroll’s claim that she was raped, interjecting that it held Collins responsible for the sexual abuse, noting that her account tried to discredit

“They said he didn’t rape her,” Trump countered. laughed at. “This is a hoax. It’s a hoax,” Trump said. “This is a fraudulent transaction.”

President Trump has once again defended his infamous remarks on the set of Access Hollywood when he boasted about how a famous man could make unwanted sexual advances. The comments rocked the final month of the contest when tapes surfaced during the 2016 campaign. When asked if they did, he again supported them.

“It happens to be true. I said it’s been true for a million years, about a million years, maybe a little longer than that.

“So do you stand by them?” Collins asked.

“I don’t want to lie,” Trump replied. Over the years, Trump has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct from women named along with corroborating witnesses.

In response to a question about federal spending and debt, Trump mentioned the possibility of a government default, but Collins warned that economists could disrupt financial markets and trigger a recession. pointed out that there is “I’ll do it later, so I’d better do it now,” Trump said.

Denying a clear contradiction with his presidency, which has repeatedly endorsed unconditional increases in the debt ceiling, he said the ceiling should not be used as a bargaining lever.

“That was when I was president,” Trump said.

“So why is it different now that you’re out of the office?” Collins asked.

“Because I’m not the president now,” Trump replied, to laughter and applause.

Trump repeatedly dodged questions about when abortion would be outlawed, pointing to his track record of appointing three Supreme Court justices who voted to reform and overturn the court. Law vs Wade last year. He shied away from the hardline stance of some of his rivals, expressing some caution that hardline anti-abortion views could be a drag on the Republican election.

After a spokesman for the Trump campaign said in a statement to the Washington Post that the abortion issue “should be decided at the state level” and did not show support for the federal government, President Trump is here. For weeks, it drew criticism from the Susan B. Anthony Prolife America organization. Ban. But the group’s chairman, Marjorie Dannenfelser, spoke more positively about the president after meeting with him, telling the Associated Press this week that the federal government’s exemptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother should be taken into account. Suggested to support the ban.

Senator Lindsey O. Graham, R.C., who was with Dannenfelser at the meeting and proposed a nationwide 15-week immigration ban, questioned whether President Trump had committed to signing the bill. avoided mentioning. “I was very pleased with the meeting, let me tell you,” Graham said in an interview at the Capitol on Tuesday.

At City Hall on Wednesday, President Trump declined to say whether he supports a federal ban on abortion at 15 weeks of age. President Trump said he was “looking for an effective solution.”

Trump also declined to say whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russia, saying he would not have invaded Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin had been in the White House (as he often says). , without evidence) suggested. “I’m not thinking in terms of winning or losing, but in terms of solving things, so stop killing all these people,” Trump said.

He also declined to say whether he considered Putin a war criminal, calling him a “clever man”. “If he says he’s a war criminal, it’s going to be a lot harder to get a deal to stop this,” Trump said.

Despite some Republicans expressing renewed concerns about Trump’s viability in the general election, the Republican primary has built a formidable lead in the early polls and elected lawmakers gaining momentum with support from He faces increasing legal danger. His arch-rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is preparing to formally announce his candidacy soon, and the possibility of an election is expected to be central to his message.

Some audience members applauded President Trump’s repeated false allegations about election fraud, but an apparently frustrated audience, including a young man who widened his eyes when Trump continued about “voting illegally.” There was also When an independent voter named Scott Dustin asked Trump if he would drop the “polarizing” topic of election fraud during the 2024 campaign, Trump replied, “Unless you see election fraud, yes. ‘ he countered.

Asked if he had any regrets about the January 6, 2021 incident when supporters stormed the Capitol, smashed windows and injured a police officer, he said: “They were there with love in their hearts—it was incredible.” It was a very good day. “

He claimed to have called on the crowd to act peacefully, and at one point pulled out a white piece of paper that appeared to have a timeline of his remarks on social media printed on it. He continued to criticize then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) for security failures and defended the security of Capitol officials, even though testimony from senior government officials did not support his claims. He suggested that he immediately dispatched “soldiers” for .

President Trump said he intended to pardon “the majority” of the Jan. 6 protesters, saying he would do so “early on” in his second administration, saying they are now “living in hell.” There are,” he claimed.

Democratic National Committee spokesman Ammal Musa responded: This would be disgusting if it weren’t so dangerous. “

A campaign aide said he had discussed likely questions beforehand with the former president, but that, in line with his past practice, he had not prepared extensively. The advisers spoke on condition of anonymity about the private conversation. Across city halls, the campaign exploded with emails highlighting Trump’s policy proposals on energy, immigration, the economy and foreign policy.

Trump recently responded to spontaneous questions from audiences at campaign events and broadcast busy clips of media interviews with conservative Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson (who has since left the network). , leaving it to local outlets and less traditional roundtables such as Nerk Boys. Podcaster and British far-right politician Nigel Farage.

It’s been years since Trump confronted independent TV hosts and interviewers like CNN’s Collins. Collins met the wrath of officials there when she covered Trump’s White House on CNN. She was barred from a public press conference at the White House at one point for trying to question the then-President in a previous situation.

Trump has generally avoided TV interviews and town halls on networks not affiliated with him, He regularly conducts unannounced interviews and group interviews with mainstream reporters at events and on airplanes. The Trump campaign has deliberately sought out supporters and reporters, in contrast to DeSantis, who shuns traditional media and seeks to hone his retail skills.

During Trump’s 2016 campaign, Trump benefited from extended live coverage of his rallies on CNN, which CNN’s then-president later said he regretted. It singled out and defamed the network, encouraging one supporter to mail explosives to headquarters and prominent Democrats.

Trump attends city hall Wednesday to face local, state and federal investigations, reverse 2020 election loss and raise money from false election fraud allegations under prosecutor scrutiny I worked hard for it. material. Trump was indicted on hush money schemes earlier this year and pleaded not guilty to 34 felonies.

President Trump called Collins a “disgusting person” after being hotly accused of keeping classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.