Closing summary
Well, that happened.
Over the course of about an hour, Donald Trump dodged questions, repeated falsehoods and lobbed insults at his enemies, all before a frequently clapping and cheering crowd of New Hampshire Republicans. CNN host Kaitlan Collins tried to get the former president to answer the questions she and audience members put to him, and what he did and did not say was indeed telling.
Here are the highlights, if you can call them that:
Trump would pardon “many” of those convicted for crimes related to the January 6 insurrection – a brutal attack which he repeatedly downplayed.
Despite a jury’s finding yesterday that Trump was civilly liable for sexual abuse and defamation, the former president denied knowing advice columnist E Jean Carroll, whose lawsuit led to the judgment.
Progressive Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said CNN hosting the town hall was a mistake.
Collins pressed Trump on whether or not he would sign a national abortion ban, but he would not say either way.
The former president remained cagey about supporting Ukraine against Russia, instead insisting he could stop their war in “24 hours”. A former ally said what Trump really means is that he would let Moscow win.
Updated
You can expect to hear about this town hall for days.
Critics will seize on Donald Trump’s statements, CNN’s decision to hold the event and host Kaitlan Collins’s attempts to nail down the former president’s positions on various issues.
Already, Politico reports that the former president’s advisers see his appearance as a success:
A Trump adviser called tonight's CNN town hall a "home run" and "presidential." The printout of tweets about Jan. 6 was Trump's idea.
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) May 11, 2023
Another said it was "fantastic" and an opportunity for CNN viewers to hear him talk about policy. They are happy with Trump's performance.
But the Democratic National Committee (DNC) says the town hall served as a reminder of what kind of politician Trump is.
“The American people were just reintroduced, in primetime, to a dangerous, extreme candidate who seeks to undermine democracy and is the frontrunner for the nomination of a party that is increasingly beholden to its most right-wing fringes,” the DNC said in a statement.
And Chris Christie, the former Republican governor of New Jersey who is today among the ex-president’s foes, said Trump’s wavering on whether he would support Ukraine was telling:
Donald Trump says he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours tonight on CNN. Despite how ridiculous that is to say, I suspect he would try to do it by turning Ukraine over to Putin and Russia. #Putin’sPuppet
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) May 11, 2023
Updated
