CNN Republican Town Hall with Donald Trump

CNN Republican Town Hall with Donald Trump
GenreTelevision interview
Presented byKaitlan Collins
StarringDonald Trump
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Production locationsSaint Anselm College, Goffstown, New Hampshire
Running time62 minutes
Original release
NetworkCNN
ReleaseMay 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)

The CNN Republican Town Hall with Donald Trump is a 2023 television interview hosted by journalist Kaitlan Collins that featured former president and presidential candidate Donald Trump. It aired on May 10, 2023, on CNN.

Background

See also: Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign

Donald Trump is a candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Trump previously served as president from 2017 to 2021.

Production

CNN Republican Town Hall with Donald Trump was filmed at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire

The town hall in New Hampshire was moderated by Kaitlan Collins, the co-host of CNN This Morning with Poppy Harlow. It was broadcast on CNN on May 10, 2023, a day after a jury ruled Trump was liable for sexual assault and defamation in E. Jean Carroll vs. Donald J. Trump, awarding the plaintiff—journalist E. Jean Carroll—with US$5 million for an encounter Trump had with her in a luxury department store dressing room in 1996. The town hall is Trump's first appearance on the network since 2016.

The interview was conducted live from the private Benedictine liberal arts college Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire.[1] With regards to its location, New Hampshire's presidential primary is the first in the United States.[2] Saint Anselm College has hosted presidential candidates for decades.[3] The audience was made up of Republicans and undecided voters; in New Hampshire, voters may declare themselves as "undeclared", of which the state's undeclared voters make up a key voting bloc.[4]

Content

The interview mentioned the investigation into Trump's handling of government documents and the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. While Collins pointed out that Biden—whose home was also searched when classified documents were discovered at the Penn Biden Center—did not defy a subpoena, Trump interrupted her as Collins asked for him to answer the question. Trump then called her a "nasty person".[5] Trump also promoted falsehoods on various topics, including the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, the January 6 Capitol attack and aid provided to Ukraine during Russia's invasion.[6]

The interview occurred the day after a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation against E. Jean Carroll.[7] During the interview, Trump called Carroll's account of the assault "fake" and "made up," and he referred to her as a "wack job."[8] In response to Trump's comments, Carroll filed a motion with the Southern District of New York seeking an additional $10 million in damages from Trump for defamation.[9] The court granted the motion, and the second defamation trial has been scheduled for January 15, 2024.[10]

Reception

Political reaction

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) planned its most aggressive rapid response effort in preparing for the town hall.[11]

Chris Jankowski, the chief executive of Never Back Down, a political action committee aligned to 2024 Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis, said that the town hall was a "true marriage of equals", in that Trump has "lost his luster" and resorted to appearing on a network that's "lost its ratings".[12]

Analysis

CNN's Kristen Holmes wrote that the town hall was a "broader and more traditional campaign strategy", straying away from the Trump campaign's large rallies.[13]

Media organizations

Mainstream media organizations widely criticized the event, which came the day after Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming author E. Jean Carroll.

A New York Times headline said, "Trump's Falsehoods and Bluster Overtake CNN Town Hall,"[14] while Slate called it "breathtakingly ill-conceived".[15] The Wall Street Journal ran the headline, "Trump Mocks Sexual Abuse Case, Repeats False 2020 Election Claims at CNN Town Hall."[16] CNBC reported, "Trump pushes false election claims, mocks E. Jean Carroll to applause during CNN town hall."[17]

Michael Fanone, a former Washington, D.C. police officer involved with the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, wrote in Rolling Stone, "CNN Is Hosting a Town Hall for a Guy Who Tried to Get Me Killed. Donald Trump tried to end American democracy. Why is CNN throwing him a rehabilitation party?"[18]

References

  1. ^ Herb, Jeremy (May 10, 2023). "Key things to know about the CNN presidential town hall in New Hampshire tonight". CNN. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  2. ^ Brooks, Anthony (December 16, 2022). "N.H. says it will continue to host the first presidential primary. Democrats have other ideas". WBUR. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  3. ^ Bookman, Todd; Liu, Michelle (May 10, 2023). "As Trump takes stage at Saint Anselm College, students voice their opinions outside". New Hampshire Public Radio. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  4. ^ Bradner, Eric; Herb, Jeremy (May 10, 2023). "Trump will face questions from New Hampshire GOP primary voters. Here's why the state is key". CNN. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Wolf, Zachary (May 10, 2023). "Trump has a history of insulting women by calling them "nasty"". CNN. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Doak, Sam; Kristensen, Nikolaj (May 12, 2023). "Trump uses CNN town hall to air multiple falsehoods". Logically. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  7. ^ Weiser, Benjamin (May 22, 2023). "E. Jean Carroll Seeks New Damages From Trump for Comments on CNN". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  8. ^ Weiser, Benjamin (May 22, 2023). "E. Jean Carroll Seeks New Damages From Trump for Comments on CNN". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  9. ^ Weiser, Benjamin (May 22, 2023). "E. Jean Carroll Seeks New Damages From Trump for Comments on CNN". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  10. ^ Richards, Zoë (June 15, 2023). "Second E. Jean Carroll defamation trial against Trump set for January: Carroll is seeking new damages of at least $10 million, based in part on comments Trump made at a CNN town hall last month". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Saenz, Arlette (May 10, 2023). "Democratic National Committee planning "aggressive" rapid response for Trump town hall". CNN. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  12. ^ Weisman, Jonathan (May 10, 2023). "A DeSantis-aligned super PAC criticizes Trump and CNN". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  13. ^ Holmes, Kristen (May 10, 2023). "Tonight's Trump town hall is a sign of a broader and more traditional campaign strategy". CNN. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  14. ^ Weisman, Jonathan (May 10, 2023). "Trump's Falsehoods and Bluster Overtake CNN Town Hall". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  15. ^ Peters, Justin (May 11, 2023). "Donald Trump's CNN Town Hall Was a Disaster". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  16. ^ Leary, Alex; McCormick, John (May 10, 2023). "Trump Mocks Sexual Abuse Case, Repeats False 2020 Election Claims at CNN Town Hall". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Breuninger, Kevin (May 10, 2023). "Trump pushes false election claims, mocks E. Jean Carroll to applause during CNN town hall". CNBC. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Fanone, Michael (May 10, 2023). "CNN Is Hosting a Town Hall for a Guy Who Tried to Get Me Killed". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 11, 2023.