Donald Trump returned to CNN in a town hall on Wednesday, where the former president was pressed on a number of subjects, including the debt ceiling, his 2020 election loss, and a jury ruling that he sexually abused former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll.
Trump took questions from moderator Kaitlan Collins and Republican voters in the audience at the New Hampshire forum in what was the former president's first appearance on CNN since 2016.
The town hall was met with criticism before it aired, with many arguing CNN should not be giving a primetime platform to a 2024 candidate who is still being investigated for allegedly inciting an insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and has spent three years pushing false voter fraud claims about the 2020 election.
The town hall took on greater significance as it occurred one day after a New York City jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll in the 1990s, then defaming her character.
CNN defended the decision to provide Trump a town hall, saying it was its responsibility to "ask tough questions, follow up, and hold him accountable" and allow voters to make up their own mind.
Below are five key moments from Trump's CNN town hall:
Trump Calls E. Jean Carroll a 'Whack Job'
One of the main fears from those criticizing CNN over the town hall was that Trump would use the opportunity to continue to attack Carroll after a jury ruled the former president sexually abused her at a Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City in the 1990s.
On Tuesday, the jury in the civil trial ordered Trump to pay Carroll a total of $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages over the sexual battery and defamation claims.
During the town hall, Trump made light of the abuse and frequently mocked Carroll in front of the audience of GOP voters, who at times laughed at his remarks.
"This is a fake story. Made-up story," Trump said. "I have no idea who the hell she is. She's a whack job.
"What kind of woman meets somebody and brings them up, and within minutes you're playing hanky-panky in a dressing room?"
When asked by Collins if the jury's ruling will damage his appeal to female voters, Trump replied: "My poll numbers just went up," prompting cheers from the audience.
Trump Urges GOP To 'Do a Default' Over Debt Ceiling
Trump argued that congressional Republicans should not agree to raise the debt ceiling unless the White House meets the GOP's demands on spending cuts. Trump said Republicans should hold firm on their demands even if it results in the government defaulting on its debt, a move that would have a devastating effect on the economy.
"I say to the Republicans out there, congressmen and senators, if they don't give you massive cuts you are going to have to do a default," Trump said.
Trump added that a default may not be required as Democrats will "absolutely cave" to GOP demands for spending cuts. "But it's better than what we're doing right now because we're spending money like drunken sailors," he added.
Congress has always raised the debt limit when required to avoid a default. Trump himself raised the limit three times during his time in the White House.
When asked by Collins why he is now calling on Republicans to avoid raising the debt ceiling, Trump replied: "Because now I'm not president."
Refuses To Call Vladimir Putin a War Criminal
Trump did not condemn the Russian president over the invasion of Ukraine as he believes doing so would harm any chance of peace talks.
"I think it's something that should not be discussed now, it should be discussed later," Trump said. "If you say he's a war criminal it's going to be a lot tougher to make a deal to make this thing stopped.
"If he's going to be a war criminal, people are going to grab him and execute him, he's going to fight a lot harder than he's fighting under the other circumstance. That's something to be discussed at a later day."
Trump also repeated his suggestion that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he were still U.S. president and did not say whether he wanted Russia or Ukraine to win the war when pressed.
"I want everybody to stop dying," Trump said. "Russians and Ukrainians, I want them to stop dying. And I'll have that done. I'll have that done in 24 hours."
Promise of January 6 Pardons
Trump vowed that he would pardon some of those who have been convicted in connection to the January 6 riot at the Capitol.
"I am inclined to pardon many of them," Trump said. "I can't say for every single one because a couple of them probably—they got out of control."
Trump not promising to pardon all January 6 defendants came after several members of the far-right Proud Boys group—Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Dominic Pezzola and Zachary Rehl—were found guilty of seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding in connection to the attack.
Elsewhere, Trump defended his supporters who were in Washington D.C. that day to support his false election fraud claims.
"I've never spoken to a crowd as large as this," Trump said of his speech at The Ellipse before the violence broke out. "That was because they thought the election was rigged. And they were there proud. They were there with love in their heart. That was unbelievable and it was a beautiful day."
Trump Continued To Push False 2020 Election Claims
The first questions asked by Collins were about Trump's debunked 2020 voter fraud claims, and if he would accept the result of the 2024 election.
In response, Trump once more declared that the 2020 election was "rigged" against him.
"When you look at what happened during that election, unless you're a very stupid person you see what happened," Trump said. "It was a rigged election and it was a shame that we had to go through it."
An audience member asked the former president if he would stop pushing voter fraud claims in his next run for the White House.
"Yeah, unless I see election fraud," Trump replied.
CNN Under Fire for Town Hall Broadcast
The network continued to receive criticism for giving Trump a town hall after it aired the event.
"There is simply no way CNN can feign ignorance about the fact that they set up a sexual assault victim to be targeted and attacked on national television a day after the verdict," tweeted New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. "People were sounding the alarm about this exact scenario. They let it happen anyway without a plan.
"This, the choice to platform election disinformation, lies about January 6th, totally unchecked and reckless claims about abortion...they need to take ownership of what just happened. This cannot be normalized. It's dangerous."
In a statement, a CNN spokesperson told Newsweek: "Tonight Kaitlan Collins exemplified what it means to be a world-class journalist. She asked tough, fair and revealing questions. And she followed up and fact-checked President Trump in real time to arm voters with crucial information about his positions as he enters the 2024 election as the Republican frontrunner.
"That is CNN's role and responsibility: to get answers and hold the powerful to account."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
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