Was Donald Trump's Appearance at CNN Town Hall a Good Move for His Legal Team?

The ex-president seemed unbothered.

Donald Trump
TURNBERRY, SCOTLAND - MAY 02: Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a round of golf at his Turnberry course on May 2, 2023 in Turnberry, Scotland. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is visiting his golf courses in Scotland and Ireland. Back in the United States, he faces legal action on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Robert Perry/Getty Images

Former President Trump participated in a town hall event held by CNN on Wednesday night, May 10, in New Hampshire. Trump is a Republican presidential contender for the 2024 election.

Throughout the evening, Trump fielded questions on a wide variety of topics from Republicans and undecided voters in New Hampshire who intend to vote in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

A Bad Plan

MSNBC's Jordan Rubin wrote an insightful post explaining that many prosecutors were watching the event and taking notes.

Jordan said that the event was a situation that might lead to self-incrimination in criminal investigations and/or expose Trump to civil responsibility for making defamatory comments. Take note that defense lawyers generally agree that their clients should not discuss their alleged wrongdoing when they are the subject of several simultaneous criminal investigations.

But there was the ex-president who seemed unconcerned with the consequences.

Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote in a late-night report that on Wednesday, Trump claimed he did not feel bad about the taped discussion in which he asked then-Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his election loss. This is now the focus of a criminal investigation in Fulton County.

When CNN town hall moderator Kaitlan Collins questioned Trump about the conversation, Trump claimed that Raffensperger "owed me votes because the election was rigged." He then repeated his phony conspiracy theories about his loss in 2020 at the hands of Joe Biden.

Electoral Lies and Jokes on Sexual Abuse Verdict

In a fiery 70-minute broadcast, Trump drew cheers from a New Hampshire crowd by mocking writer E. Jean Carroll's account of his sexual abuse and repeating falsehoods about his 2020 election loss, among other things he mentioned.

In a report by Reuters, town hall moderator Collins asked the Republican president if he would concede that he lost to the Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. However, Trump brushed off her efforts to right the record by repeating his baseless allegations that the election was rigged against him.

And if reelected in 2024, Trump has promised to pardon anyone responsible for the fatal assault on the U.S. Capitol by his supporters who were trying to stop Congress from ratifying the election outcome.

'Classic Trump'

Independent political analyst Stu Rothenberg said that Trump's speech was a dress rehearsal for his 2024 presidential run.

According to Rothenberg, senior editor of the Inside Elections newsletter, "It was classic Trump - it was Donald Trump from 2015 right up until now: the Big Lie, the outrageous style, demeaning individuals, mocking them ... He hasn't changed, nor will he. It was a glimpse into the next year and a half."

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