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

Background

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

Production

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 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 Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889, it is the third-oldest Catholic college in New England. Named for Saint Anselm of Canterbury (Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to ...

in Goffstown, New Hampshire. With regards to its location, New Hampshire's presidential primary is the first in the United States. Saint Anselm College has hosted presidential candidates for decades. The audience was made up of

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

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.

Content

The interview mentioned the

investigation Investigation or Investigations may refer to: Law enforcement * Investigation, the work of a detective * Investigation, the work of a private investigator * Criminal investigation, the study of facts, used to identify, locate and prove the guilt ...

into Trump's handling of government documents and the

FBI search of Mar-a-Lago On August8, 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, the residence of former U.S. president Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida. The search warrant application was authorized by U.S. Attorne ...

. 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". 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. The interview occurred the day after a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation against E. Jean Carroll. During the interview, Trump called Carroll's account of the assault "fake" and "made up," and he referred to her as a "wack job." 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. The court granted the motion, and the second defamation trial has been scheduled for January 15, 2024.

Reception

Political reaction

The

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

(DNC) planned its most aggressive rapid response effort in preparing for the town hall. 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".

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.

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," while ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

'' called it "breathtakingly ill-conceived". '' The Wall Street Journal'' ran the headline, "Trump Mocks Sexual Abuse Case, Repeats False 2020 Election Claims at CNN Town Hall." CNBC reported, "Trump pushes false election claims, mocks E. Jean Carroll to applause during CNN town hall." 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?"

References

{{Reflist

External links

Audio-only version of the event

from CNN.com 2023 in American television 2023 controversies in the United States May 2023 events in the United States Republican Town Hall with Donald Trump Television controversies in the United States Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign Controversies of the 2024 United States presidential election