Former President Donald Trump participated in a presidential town hall with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, on Wednesday. It was the first time he took questions in a public forum since the 2020 election. No conditions were agreed upon, and no questions were off-limits.
Former President Trump is the first former president in over a century seeking a return to the White House. Currently leading the Republican field, he is also facing multiple criminal investigations and an indictment. Just yesterday, he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation. He is facing an active federal investigation for trying to overturn the 2020 election results. Despite the loss, he has yet to acknowledge the 2020 election results publicly.
Collins asked Trump how he would respond to his federal investigation, the failure to acknowledge the election results, and court cases that debunked fraudulent allegations.
Trump began his response by discussing how he won 12 million more votes in 2020 than in 2016. He then proceeded to call the election rigged and referred to the millions of votes he claimed were on camera. Collins interjected, noting that Republican officials in Georgia and all state results were against him. Undeterred, Trump insisted that the cameras captured millions of fraudulent ballots and voter fraud in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Atlanta.
Collins attempted to redirect the conversation by introducing an undeclared voter, Scott Dustin, from Concord, who previously voted for Trump. Dustin wanted to know whether the former president would suspend polarizing talk of election fraud during his campaign for president.
Trump stated that he would suspend any claims of election fraud unless he saw any evidence. He had an obligation to say it if he saw any. He added that honest elections should have voter IDs, one-day elections, and paper ballots, rather than mail-in votes.
Overall, the town hall with Trump focused on the 2020 election and its aftermath. While he remained fixated on his claims of voter fraud, he avoided policies and plans for his prospective run in 2024.
Original Story at www.cnn.com – 2023-05-11 18:31:00
