Global Courant 2023-05-11 13:27:32
Former United States President Donald Trump’s appearance at CNN’s town hall marked the first time in years that he had been questioned at length by a news outlet outside the friendly confines of conservative media outlets.
Trump’s participation in the public forum on Wednesday came as he turned his attention to a possible 2024 general election rematch with Democrat Joe Biden.
The audience, made up of Republicans and independents, was largely favorable to Trump, laughing and cheering as he made his points.
“I like you guys,” Trump told the crowd at the end.
Here’s what Trump had to say:
Suggests that the US government defaults on its debts
While the battle to raise the US debt ceiling warns analysts of “catastrophic” consequences for the global economy if Washington defaults, Trump suggested it wouldn’t happen unless Democrats agreed to “massive” spending cuts.
“We might as well do it now, because you’ll do it later. Because we have to save this country. Our country is being destroyed by stupid people, by very stupid people.
“It’s really psychological more than anything. And it could be really bad, it might be nothing, maybe it’s a bad week or a bad day, who knows?” said Trump.
“I say to the Republicans out there, congressmen, senators, if they don’t give you massive cuts, you’re going to have to default.”
Questions about sexual abuse case
Trump’s action came a day after a New York jury found him liable for sexually assaulting a woman nearly 30 years ago and defaming her when she spoke publicly about it.
Jurors award columnist E Jean Carroll $5 million in damages. The jury rejected her rape claim, instead finding Trump responsible for a lesser degree of sexual assault. Trump denied it, saying he never encountered Carroll in a department store in 1996 and did not know her, and has said he intends to appeal the verdict.
When Trump was asked about the verdict by CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins, he said his polls went up and repeated his statements that he did not know Carroll, though at least one photo of them together has surfaced.
‘I do not know her. I never met her. I had no idea who she is,” he said, calling her a “funny.”
Treatment of women
Collins asked Trump about his comments in the infamous Access Hollywood video in which he bragged about grabbing women’s genitals without asking permission. The video was played during the trial and Collins asked him if he stood by his comments.
Trump defended his remarks by saying he had said women let him grab their genitals without consent because he was a star.
“I can’t take that back because it turns out to be true,” Trump said.
Repeated election claims
Trump, with his first question from Collins about why he should be re-elected, almost immediately began repeating his baseless allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump struck a more muted tone than he usually uses on stage to his cheering supporters, calling it a “rigged election” and a “disgrace” before Collins cut him off, corrected his statements and asked him to publicly acknowledge his loss to Biden .
Trump did not and immediately returned to his false claims.
Defense of the 6 January uprising
For more than two years, Trump was asked if he regretted his actions on that day.
The former president soon began boasting about the size of the crowd he was speaking to before some began marching to the Capitol, saying attendees believed the election had been “rigged.”
“They were proud there. They were there with love in their hearts. That was incredible and it was a beautiful day,” Trump said.
Collins pressed Trump for why he had not asked his supporters to leave the Capitol or send aid to disperse the protesters, and he deflected, trying to blame then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi. At one point, he pulled out hard copies of his Twitter posts that day in which, hours after the attack on the Capitol began, he finally asked his supporters to leave.
He said he was inclined, if reelected as president, to pardon many of those convicted of their roles in the violence. More than 1,000 people have been charged and more than 600 have been convicted so far.
No answers about Ukraine
Trump repeated his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him “a smart guy” but saying “he made a big mistake” to invade Ukraine. Trump claimed, without proof or explanation, that if he were still president, Putin would never have invaded Ukraine. He said he had “a good relationship” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, referring to his ousting in 2019 after pressuring Zelenskyy for “a favor” while withholding military aid.
Trump would not answer a question about whether he would continue to send US aid to Ukraine to continue fighting the Russian invasion, and he would not answer a question about who he wanted to win the war, saying only: “I want everyone to stop dying. .”
Keeping classified documents
Trump defended his custody of top secret and confidential government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, which is now the subject of a Justice Department investigation.
“I had every right to do it. I made no secret of it,” Trump said.
Trump noted that other presidents and vice presidents had kept documents after they left office, but made no mention of his refusal to hand over documents even after receiving a subpoena.
Abortion claims
Trump, responding last year to a question about the U.S. Supreme Court overturning abortion rights, took credit for naming three of the justices who participated in the majority decision, saying: “It was such a big win and people are starting to understand it now. ”
He repeatedly falsely claimed that abortion rights advocates wanted to “kill a baby” in the ninth month of pregnancy or even after a birth. The claim is based on a misleading interpretation of a Senate vote. Trump also dodged questions about whether, if elected president again, he would sign a national ban on abortion.
“What I’m going to do is negotiate so people are happy,” he said when asked if he would sign a federal ban on abortion. He repeatedly said he would “do what is right” – without specifying what that was.
