CNN Town Hall: Trump Alleges Conspiracy Theories, ‘Promotes Election Lies’

• Ex-president remains 2024 Republican frontrunner
• Fields voters’ questions on wide range of topics

About Twenty-four hours after a New York jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, embattled former United States (US) President, Donald Trump has been accused of unleashing a litany of lies about the 2020 election and E Jean Carroll’s lawsuit.

On Tuesday, the jury concluded that Trump had sexually abused Carroll 27 years earlier, ordering the former president to pay her $5m in damages for her battery and defamation claims.

But appearing at a CNN Town Hall on Wednesday night, Trump took questions from a friendly crowd of Republican and undeclared voters in New Hampshire, who often applauded his divisive comments and gestures toward moderator Kaitlan Collins with laughter.

He spoke on everything from the debt ceiling to abortion access and the war in Ukraine, but frequently deflected when asked to outline specific policy objectives if he takes back the White House next year.

Expectedly, the town hall turned combative as soon as it began, with Trump reiterating his lies about the 2020 election as Collins repeatedly interjected.

Pressed by Collins on whether he would acknowledge Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, Trump refused to do so. When Collins later asked if he would accept the results of the 2024 election regardless of the outcome, Trump replied, “Yeah, if I think it’s an honest election, absolutely.”

Collins appeared to grow exasperated as the 70-minute town hall drew on, telling Trump at one point, “The election was not rigged, Mr President. You can’t keep saying that all night long.”

Turning to Trump’s many legal liabilities, she asked the former president for his message to voters who argue that the verdict in Carroll’s lawsuit should disqualify him from seeking office.

The former president responded by attacking Carroll as a “whack job” and raising baseless doubts about the objectivity of the judge who oversaw the case.

According to reports, the New Hampshire crowd welcomed Trump’s offensive and often untrue statements, with some audience members laughing when Collins noted that the former president had been found liable for sexual abuse.

The verdict in Carroll’s case came a month after Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in connection to a hush-money scheme during the 2016 polls. He also faces potential criminal charges in Georgia and Washington over moves to overturn the 2020 election and alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Asked why he had refused to voluntarily deliver the requested documents to federal authorities, Trump replied by calling Collins as a “nasty person”, echoing his characterization of former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as a “nasty woman” in 2016.

All through the Town Hall, the former president often ignored giving a direct response to policy questions. Asked whether he would sign a federal abortion ban, Trump replied; “I’m looking at a solution that’s going to work. Very complex issue for the country. You have people on both sides of an issue, but we are now in a very strong position. Pro-life people are in a strong position to make a deal that’s going to be good and going to be satisfactory for them.”

Similarly, he evaded stating categorically if Ukraine should win its war against Russia, which launched an unprovoked invasion last year. “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.”

The few policy positions that Trump clearly articulated may be unpopular with a wide swath of the American electorate. Trump said he was “inclined to pardon many” of those convicted for their participation in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

He also discouraged congressional Republicans from approving an increase in the government’s debt ceiling, which could soon cause a disastrous federal default.

“I say to the Republicans out there – congressmen, senators – if they don’t give you massive [spending] cuts, you’re going to have to do a default,” Trump said. “I don’t believe they’re going to do a default because I think the Democrats will absolutely cave.”

Trump’s position represents a reversal from his stance during his presidency, when he repeatedly suspended the debt ceiling to allow the government to continue borrowing money. Asked why he had changed his tune, Trump replied, “Because now I’m not president.”

The flippant comment met with laughter and applause from the audience, underscoring Trump’s enduring hold on the Republican Party base.

Despite his many legal challenges, Trump remains the frontrunner in polls of the Republican primary field. – Additional reports from The Guardian