Trump digs in on election fraud claims in CNN town hall

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday maintained his innocence a day after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll, saying it is a “fake story” and calling his accuser a “whack job.”

Mr. Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, said at a CNN town hall event in New Hampshire that he was never going to get a fair shake in the New York courtroom, reminding the audience former President Bill Clinton appointed the “horrible” judge.

“I swear on my children, which I never do, I have no idea who this woman is,” Mr. Trump said when pressed by moderator Kaitlan Collins on the Carroll verdict. “This is a fake story — a made-up story.”

“She’s a whack job,” he said, sparking laughter from the audience, consisting of likely Republican primary voters in attendance.

Mr. Trump said the verdict is not hurting his White House aspirations. He said his poll numbers have gotten stronger.

Mr. Trump was found liable Tuesday for sexual battery and defamation against Ms. Carroll in the civil trial in which she claimed he raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

SEE ALSO: AOC fumes over Trump town hall: ‘CNN should be ashamed of themselves’

The verdict came a month after Mr. Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of trying to cover up hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Mr. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

The legal woes, however, have raised questions about Mr. Trump’s electability and intensified calls for CNN to cancel the town hall event.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter during the town hall to attack CNN, saying the network was aiding lies.

“CNN should be ashamed of themselves,” she tweeted. “They have lost total control of this ‘town hall’ to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim.”

For Mr. Trump, the prime-time forum was a chance to connect with GOP primary voters and also test his message with the broader electorate that he will need on his side to win a general election race against President Biden.

SEE ALSO: Trump turns on Kaitlan Collins in CNN town hall: ‘You are a nasty person’

On policy, Mr. Trump refused to say whether he would support a federal abortion ban in the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

“What I would do is negotiate so people are happy,” he said, adding that he supports exceptions to abortion restrictions to save the woman’s life and in cases of rape and incest.

Mr. Trump stuck with his claims the 2020 election was stolen, and that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the power to block the counting of the electoral votes.

He dismissed the idea that he could have done more to stop his loyal supporters from attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Unless you are a very stupid person, you see what happened,” Mr. Trump said about the 2020 results. “That was a rigged election.”

Mr. Biden has made a mess of the U.S.-Mexico border, the military and the economy, the 2024 Republican front-runner said.

“We have really become in many ways a third-world country,” he said. “It is very sad what has happened with this administration and it is something we will turn around on Day 1.”

Mr. Trump has had a tumultuous relationship with CNN.

He repeatedly accuses the network of promoting “fake news,” often using all-capital letters in his social media posts, and had butted heads with its reporters and on-air talent while president.

Mr. Trump also feuded with former CNN President Jeff Zucker, who stepped down last year. He was replaced by Chris Licht, who has said the station is “not going to be a 24/7 Trump news network.”

Toward the tail end of the town hall, Mr. Trump called Ms. Collins a “nasty person” and made a sarcastic gesture toward her as she was signing off.

This is the third time this year that Mr. Trump has visited New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state that gave him his first victory in the 2016 presidential race after placing second behind Sen. Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses.

Mr. Trump has a nearly 30-point lead in the GOP primary race, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, which shows Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as his closest rival.

Mr. DeSantis has yet to announce formally that he is running.

It is a similar story in New Hampshire where Mr. Trump leads Mr. DeSantis by a 24-point margin.

The race, however, is still taking shape. It remains to be seen whether popular New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu will run and whether he could be a force in his political backyard.