Trump pushes false election claims at CNN town hall

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday again pushed false claims that his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden was “rigged” in a live town hall on CNN.

The event in New Hampshire marked Trump’s first appearance on the network since the 2016 presidential campaign, according to CNN. It was moderated by “CNN This Morning” anchor Kaitlan Collins, who attempted to fact-check Trump in real time. It featured a live audience of Republicans and undeclared voters.

Much of the crowd was highly favorable to Trump, frequently applauding and laughing in support of his remarks.

Trump, who for years has falsely claimed he beat Biden in 2020, told Collins that “unless you’re a very stupid person you see what happened” in that contest. When asked if he would publicly acknowledge his loss, Trump referred to claims from a group that promotes election conspiracy theories.

Trump also defended his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when asked if he regretted his actions on that day. Trump said the people who came to hear him deliver a speech near the Capitol — some of whom would then storm the Capitol and disrupt the transfer of power from Trump to Biden — were “there with love in their heart.”

“It was a beautiful day,” said Trump, who went on to suggest former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi bore blame for the riot.

Since souring on CNN years earlier, Trump has railed against the network, its ratings, its leadership and many of its on-air personalities.

But following a change in leadership at CNN and amid a reported ratings slump, the network has apparently decided to give Trump another chance.

“He’s the Republican frontrunner. He has to be on,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, whose company owns CNN, said of Trump on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last week. The town hall was also seen as a test of CNN CEO Chris Licht’s rule against airing disinformation.

The decision raised concerns from Trump’s critics, who argue giving the ex-president a live platform to spread misinformation neglects the lessons the media learned during his presidency. Some of them have also accused new CNN CEO Chris Licht of trying to court a more centrist audience as part of his overhaul of the network.

The timing has only heightened the controversy. The town hall comes one day after a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll.

The jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

It’s far from clear whether the outcome of that trial, which Trump decried in a stream of social media posts Tuesday evening and which his lawyer has vowed to appeal, will affect his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

During the town hall, Trump repeatedly mocked Carroll to cheers and laughter from the crowd.

Trump, who lost his 2020 reelection bid to Biden, still appears to be the de facto head of the Republican Party. Even his would-be primary rivals had mostly muted reactions to the jury’s damning verdict.

Trump appeared to chide CNN ahead of the town hall, suggesting in a social media post the network booked him “because they are rightfully desperate to get these fantastic (TRUMP!) ratings once again.”

“Could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me. Let’s see what happens?” Trump wrote.