Former US President Donald Trump has again refused to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election during a CNN Town Hall appearance on Wednesday evening.
Trump's televised appearance came just a day after a civil jury found him liable for sexually assaulting a female writer nearly three decades ago.
Screened from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, Trump also repeatedly downplayed the violence on January 6, 2021 - the infamous day his supporters stormed the US Capitol, and continued to insist the presidential election had been "rigged", even though no evidence has ever emerged to support his claims.
READ MORE - Jury rules former US President Donald Trump sexually abused columnist E. Jean Carroll in luxury shop
Trump also said he would be inclined to pardon "a large portion" of the January 6 defendants if he is re-elected, while he also refused to apologise to his former vice-president, Mike Pence, who was targeted by the mob.
"I don’t feel he was in any danger," Trump said, adding that it was Pence, not himself, who "did something wrong".
The primetime forum brought together a network and a candidate who have long battled with each other.
But the stakes were raised considerably due to the timing of the televised event, which took place little over 24 hours after jurors in Manhattan found Trump had sexually abused and defamed advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, though they rejected her claim that he raped her.
The jury awarded her $5 million in damages, a ruling that Trump branded "a disgrace" and he vowed to appeal.
The defiant former president said he does not believe the verdict disqualifies him from running for office again, nor would it have an impact on female voters. He denied knowing the columnist and also denied the accusations.
"A Manhattan jury found you sexually abused writer E. Jean. You’ve denied this. But what do you say to voters who say it disqualifies you from being president?" asked CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
Trump answered that he didn’t think there were many voters who would think that. He claimed that the case was made up and that it was all politically motivated.
He repeated that he did not know Carroll, but said that he took a photo "years ago" with her and her husband.
"This woman, I don’t know her. I never met her. I have no idea who she is," Trump said.
When asked if the jury’s decision would deter women from voting for him, the former president said, "No, I don’t think so."
While the civil trial verdict carries no criminal penalties, it revives attention on the many investigations facing Trump, who was indicted in New York in March over payments made to women to cover up their allegations of extramarital affairs with him.
Trump is also facing investigations in Georgia and Washington over his alleged interference in the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents and potential obstruction of justice.
He has long-shared a contentious relationship with CNN. On several occasions over the years, Trump has called the news network "fake news" and has previously sparred verbally with Collins. She was once barred from a Rose Garden event after Trump’s team became upset with her shouted questions at an earlier Oval Office availability.
It remains unclear how or whether Tuesday’s verdict will have any impact on the race. Trump’s indictment in New York only seemed to improve his standing in the GOP primary and his campaign was fundraising off the verdict.
Trump’s rivals weighed in on the verdict, with some hitting him harder than others. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson called the accusations "another example of the indefensible behaviour of Donald Trump".
Ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a former ally who is now weighing a run as a Trump antagonist, said Trump’s insistence that he had no idea who Carroll was "ridiculous".
"This kind of conduct is unacceptable for somebody that we call a leader," Christie told Fox News radio. "Do I think this is a silver bullet that ends Donald Trump's candidacy? No. I just think it’s additional weight of evidence that people are going to look at."
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