Former President Donald Trump made an appearance at the CNN Republican Presidential Townhall-- he made an appearance on the network after years. The event, which was moderated by “CNN This Morning” anchor Kaitlan Collins, came one day after a jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming former columnist E Jean Carroll.
At the event, Trump made dismissive comments about Carroll. A New York jury found Trump guilty of sexually assaulting Carroll and ordered him to pay her $5 million. The former president denied the charges and reiterated that he doesn't know Carroll.
When asked about the country's debt, he said the US should go into default if Democrats don't agree to major spending cuts. “Well, you might as well do it now, because you’ll do it later. Because we have to save this country,” Trump said.
When asked if he would sign the federal abortion bill, Trump declined to give a firm answer. He however touted overturning of the Roe v. Wade’s federal abortion rights as “such a great victory”. He also said that he thought President Putin's invasion of Ukraine was “a tremendous mistake”.
When asked whether he would back Ukraine, Trump said, “I don’t think in terms of winning and losing.” “I think in terms of getting it settled so we stop killing all these people,” he added. When questioned on the January 6 riots, he said that he was “inclined to pardon” a large portion of the pro-Trump rioters who were convicted for their roles in the attack on the Capitol.
He also hinted that the family separation immigration policy could return. “When you say to a family that if you come, we’re going to break you up, they don’t come,” he said. Trump repeated election fraud lies and debunked claims about fraudulent votes.
“I think it’s a shame what happened. I think it’s a very sad thing for our country,” he said.
