A pugnacious Donald Trump repeated his favorite score for his big comeback on the CNN channel on Wednesday, with the 2024 election candidate throwing off numerous provocations and spades amid applause from his admirers.
• Also read: Donald Trump insults a live TV host
This “town hall,” a major ritual in American politics, was the former American president’s first media appearance since he was found responsible for sexual assault by a court in New York. Donald Trump has long mocked his accuser, calling her “crazy.”
The exchange was also a dangerous exercise for CNN, where Donald Trump had not appeared in such a format since his election in 2016. The broadcaster, with whom he has a conflicted relationship, has been accused of offering him a megaphone despite his lies about the 2020 election, losing to Joe Biden.
And on Wednesday night, Donald Trump made it clear again – without evidence – that this ballot was “rigged.”
You have to be “an idiot” not to see it, teased the Republican with the red tie. The former leader, the Republican primary favorite, also hasn’t made a firm commitment to accepting the results of the 2024 presidential election.
The choice of New Hampshire for this “town hall” was no accident. This state bordering Canada is one of the first to organize its Republican primary in early 2024. A win would give Donald Trump valuable impetus for the rest of his campaign.
Before a committed and often hilarious audience — voters planning to run in the Republican primary — the former president made jumbled remarks on several hot topics in American news. And threw a stone in the pond by urging his Republican counterparts to default on America’s debt unless “massive” budget cuts were made.
The former White House tenant, known for his promise to build a “wall” on the border with Mexico, also predicted that on Thursday, when an influx of migrants is expected due to the expiry of a health measure, there would one day be ” shameful”.
He was also extremely evasive about the war in Ukraine, refusing to say specifically whether he wanted a victory for Kiev or Moscow.
On the subject of abortion, an issue that is making Republicans increasingly uneasy, Donald Trump again declined to say whether he would enact a nationwide ban on abortion.
He multiplied the attacks against his successor Joe Biden, his possible rival in 2024, assuring that he was “putting serious pressure on him”.
The Democratic president responded at the end of the televised exchange.
“Do you really want four more years of this?” he tweeted. “If you don’t want that, support our campaign,” wrote the 80-year-old presidential candidate.
This exchange was often tense. “You’re not a good person,” “You don’t know what you’re talking about”… the former president has repeatedly insulted host Kaitlan Collins, a rising star at CNN.
Under his presidency, the billionaire had multiplied the beatings against the media, especially CNN, which were considered “enemies of the people”.
Last October, the former president even filed a complaint against the broadcaster, which he accused of defaming him in order to dissuade him from running for the 2024 election.
But in a very competitive media universe, broadcasters need a show. Donald Trump’s antics, whether shocking or amusing, get ratings – CNN achieved some of its best results under his presidency.
However, the decision to postpone the stormy seventy-year-old drew heavy criticism. “Whoever predicted on Twitter or elsewhere that this town hall on CNN would be a pro-Trump disaster was right,” said political scientist Larry Sabato.
The Trump camp, on the other hand, was delighted with the “fantastic” performance of its candidate. According to AFP, one of his advisors was pleased that Donald Trump had the opportunity to “talk to the CNN audience about his program,” which he “hadn’t done in a long time.”