May 10 – An unrepentant Donald Trump held firm to past grievances at the first televised town hall of the 2024 U.S. presidential election on Wednesday, stressing from the moment he took the stage that he has little intention of mounting a more disciplined campaign for his third White House bid.
In a contentious 70-minute broadcast, Trump drew laughter from a New Hampshire audience when he mocked writer E. Jean Carroll’s account of his having sexually abused her, repeated falsehoods about his 2020 election loss, said he would pardon many of his supporters convicted of taking part in a Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and called the CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins a “nasty person.”
Responding to questions from Collins and members of the audience at Saint Anselm College, Trump made no effort to offer more moderate positions on issues, which political analysts say is key to broadening his appeal to a wider swath of Republicans.
Asked by Collins whether he would acknowledge that he lost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, the Republican Trump reasserted unfounded claims that the election was rigged against him, brushing aside her attempts to correct the record.
“That was a rigged election,” Trump said, adding that anyone who thought otherwise was “stupid.”
Trump, the front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination, declined to express regret for the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol when his supporters sought to prevent Congress from ratifying the election result, and he repeated his plan to pardon individuals involved if voters return him to the White House in 2024. Trump and Collins frequently spoke over each other with Collins challenging a number of the former president’s false claims.
Stu Rothenberg, a non-partisan political analyst, said Trump’s performance was a likely prelude to his 2024 campaign.
“It was classic Trump – it was Donald Trump from 2015 right up until now: the Big Lie, the outrageous style, demeaning individuals, mocking them,” said Rothenberg, senior editor at the Inside Elections newsletter. “He hasn’t changed, nor will he. It was a glimpse into the next year and a half.”
The audience of Republicans and independent voters who plan to vote in the Republican primary were generally very supportive of Trump, giving him a standing ovation when he took the stage. New Hampshire is an early nominating state that could prove critical in Trump’s bid to win the November 2024 election.
Some applauded when he described his Jan. 6 speech and the events that led up to the Capitol riot in positive terms.
“I’ve never spoken to a crowd as large as that, and that was because they thought the election was rigged. They were there with love in their heart. That was unbelievable, and it was a beautiful day,” he said.
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison issued a statement calling Trump a “dangerous, extreme candidate who seeks to undermine democracy.” Biden sought to fundraise off the event.
“Do you want four more years of that? If you don’t, pitch in to our campaign,” Biden wrote on Twitter.
Collins tried to fact-check Trump’s assertions in real time, sometimes leading to the two talking over each other as Trump, who usually sticks to conservative media outlets, refused to back down. It was Trump’s first appearance on CNN since 2016.
On Tuesday, a federal jury found Trump sexually abused Carroll in a department store dressing room in Manhattan in the 1990s, then harmed her reputation by describing her claims as “a hoax” and “a lie.” It said he must pay her $5 million in damages. Trump’s lawyer said they would appeal.
“What kind of a woman meets somebody and brings them up and within minutes, you’re playing hanky panky in a dressing room?” Trump said, one of many disparaging comments about Carroll that elicited applause and laughter. He called her a “wack job.”
After Tuesday’s verdict, Carroll issued a statement saying: “Today, the world finally knows the truth … This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed.”
Trump stood by his remarks in a 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape in which he bragged about grabbing women by the genitals, suggesting stars could have their way with them. The comments were used against Trump at trial.
“And you would like me to take that back. I can’t take it back because it happens to be true. I said, it’s been true for 1 million years, approximately a million years, perhaps a little bit longer than that,” Trump said. “I’m not referring to myself, I’m saying people that are famous, people that are stars.”
The danger is NOT Donald Trump. He’s washed up. Polling shows that even his own supporters know it. The danger is that as we sit around and obsessively fret over Trump’s imaginary 2024 comeback, we ignore other Trump-like candidates who very much can win in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
For that reason, when media outlets and pundits go on and on and on about how Trump has somehow magically already rigged the 2024 election, they’re doing harm. They’ve got us focused on some faraway doomsday scenario that has no basis in reality. Multiple polls now say a majority of Republicans don’t want Trump to be the 2024 nominee. Does that sound like a guy who’s in the process of making a magic comeback?
As long as we keep allowing the media to distract us with this Trump 2024 doomsday nonsense, it means we’re not focusing on the Trump-like figures who will try to come out of nowhere and become 2024 presidential candidates without being properly vetted first. It means we’re not focusing on putting in the work required to win House and Senate races in the midterms. And it means we’re not at all focused on the crucial 2021 Virginia Governor election in just three weeks, in which the Trump-like Republican candidate is within just a few points of winning.
Please, I’m begging you, let go of the defeatist Trump 2024 hysteria. Tune out the pundits who are making desperate ratings grabs by pushing this hyperbolic nonsense on you.
Focus on things that are real, such as the Virginia Governor race and the midterms. And most importantly of all, keep in mind that you don’t win anything by fretting and “sounding the alarm” about defeatist nonsense. You win by putting in the work required to win. You do it one election at a time. Trump is done. Obviously. But there will be dozens or hundreds of mini-Trumps running for office in upcoming elections, and all of them can do just as much damage as the original Trump. It’s them we have to focus on and defeat. “Trump 2024” talk is just a dangerous distraction from the real threats we face.
Washington – When a former supporter starts criticizing President Donald Trump, he has a favorite response: accusing them of previously having begged him for something, whether or not they had actually done so.”In Trump’s world, everyone who turns on him at one point asked him for a favor and was turned down, making Trump the top dog in the end,” Orin Kerr, a conservative law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, wrote on Twitter last year.Trump played the “begged” card again this week. After the New York Times reported that former national security adviser John Bolton’s unpublished book alleges Trump said he wanted to withhold aid to Ukraine until Ukraine helped with investigations into Democrats, Trump tweeted — among other jabs — that Bolton had “‘begged’ me for a non-Senate approved job, which I gave him despite many saying ‘Don’t do it, sir.'”Here are just some of the other people — some of them former allies, some not — Trump has accused of begging him for something:
Sen. Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
What happened: In October 2019, Romney, a Utah senator, criticized Trump’s request for Ukraine and China to investigate Joe Biden. Trump’s response: Trump called Romney “a pompous ‘ass’ who has been fighting me from the beginning, except when he begged me for my endorsement for his Senate run (I gave it to him), and when he begged me to be Secretary of State (I didn’t give it to him).”
Anthony Scaramucci
Anthony Scaramucci
What happened: In August 2019, Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as Trump’s White House press secretary, accused Trump on CNN of having “gone off the rails” and “sounding more and more nonsensical.” Trump’s response: During remarks to reporters a day later, Trump went after Scaramucci. “He wanted to come back into the administration for the last five months, begging me to come back in. I said, ‘Anthony, I can’t take you in. I’m sorry.’ He called so much. He’s a nervous, neurotic wreck. He called so much, and I said, ‘Anthony, I’m sorry. I can’t do that. I can’t take you in.” And I said, ‘You got to stop all these phone calls. Too many calls, Anthony.'” Scaramucci shot back, saying on Twitter that Trump accusing him of having begged for a job was “predictable.” He added, “It is the coarseness of the language and the rank bullying that have hurt the office of the presidency and has now put us in peril.”
Omarosa Manigault Newman
Omarosa Manigault Newman
What happened: In August 2018, Omarosa, the former “The Apprentice” reality star Trump hired as a White House aide, began releasing audio recordings from her time in the administration. Trump’s response: “She never made it, never will,” Trump tweeted. “She begged me for a job, tears in her eyes, I said Ok. People in the White House hated her.”
Steve Bannon
Steve Bannon
What happened: In January 2018, journalist Michael Wolff released a bestselling book, Fire and Fury, that portrayed an unflattering portrait of Trump’s presidency. Wolff included critical comments from Steve Bannon, a former senior Trump advisor.Trump’s response: “Michael Wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell this really boring and untruthful book,” Trump tweeted. “He used Sloppy Steve Bannon, who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. Now Sloppy Steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone. Too bad!”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
What happened: In December 2017, Gillibrand, a Democratic New York senator, called on Trump to resign over sexual assault allegations against him. Trump’s response:Trump tweeted: “Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office ‘begging’ for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump.” Gillibrand called Trump’s comment “a sexist smear attempting to silence my voice.” She said she would not back down.
Sen. Bob Corker
Sen. Bob Corker
What happened: In October 2017, the Republican Corker, then a Tennessee senator, praised Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and White House chief of staff John Kelly as “people that help separate our country from chaos.” Trump’s response: Trump hit back on Twitter: “Senator Bob Corker ‘begged’ me to endorse him for re-election in Tennessee. I said ‘NO’ and he dropped out (said he could not win without my endorsement)…” Corker’s office denied this claim, saying Trump had actually urged Corker to run again and offered the endorsement.
Sen. John McCain
Sen. John McCain
What happened: In October 2016, McCain, the late Republican Arizona senator, withdrew his endorsement of Trump after the disclosure of a recording of Trump boasting about groping women. Trump’s response:Trump fired back: “The very foul mouthed Sen. John McCain begged for my support during his primary (I gave, he won), then dropped me over locker room remarks!”
Brent Bozell
What happened: Brent Bozell, founder and president of the conservative Media Research Center, wrote an essay criticizing Trump in an anti-Trump issue of conservative magazine National Review. Trump’s response: “@BrentBozell, one of the National Review lightweights, came to my office begging for money like a dog,” Trump tweeted. “Why doesn’t he say that?” Bozell, who later became supportive of Trump https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/05/us/politics/never-trumper-republicans.html, wrote in a 2019 book criticizing the media for its treatment of the President: “Maybe because it wasn’t true? I had not gone to him for money; he’d invited me for lunch to discuss his potential campaign. I hadn’t groveled. I hadn’t even asked for money. He’d offered it.”
The New Hampshire Union Leader
What happened: In December 2015, the New Hampshire Union Leader ran a scathing front-page editorial that described Trump as a “crude blowhard.” Trump’s response: “Wow @UnionLeader circulation in NH has dropped from 75,000 to around 10—bad management,” Trump tweeted. “No wonder they begged me for ads.” Trump’s figure was way off even if he meant 10,000.
John Oliver
John OliverTrump has occasionally made similar accusations without actually using the word “beg” or its variants.What happened: In October 2015, HBO “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver said he had no interest in having Trump on the show. Trump’s response: The next day, Trump tweeted, “John Oliver had his people call to ask me to be on his very boring and low rated show. I said ‘NO THANKS’ Waste of time & energy!” The show’s Twitter account responded: “1. Yes, we have a boring show. 2. At no point did we invite Donald Trump to appear on it.” Oliver said in 2017: “It was a total lie. A meaningless lie. What kind of moron would lie about something this pathetic?”
Gov. Rick Perry
Gov. Rick PerryWhat happened: In July 2015, Perry, the former Texas governor who was running against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination — and who later became Trump’s energy secretary — sharply criticized Trump in a variety of ways. Trump’s response: Trump posted a photo of himself posing with Perry and tweeted, “@GovernorPerry in my office last cycle playing nice and begging for my support and money. Hypocrite!”
Dana Perino
Dana PerinoWhat happened: In June 2015, Perino, the Fox News commentator and co-host and former White House secretary for Republican President George W. Bush, criticized Trump and his presidential announcement speech. Trump’s response: “Why did @DanaPerino beg me for a tweet (endorsement) when her book was launched?” he tweeted.
Alan Sugar
Alan SugarWhat happened: In December 2012, businessman Alan Sugar, star of the British version of The Apprentice, expressed support for wind turbines in Scotland, which Trump opposed. They then traded barbs. Trump’s response: “Leightweight @Lord Sugar virtually begged my reps to have me stop mocking him,” Trump tweeted. “Every time this dope goes on Apprentice I make money-too easy.”
Penn Jillette
Penn JilletteWhat happened: In November 2012, magician Penn Jillette published a book in which he poked fun at Trump and The Apprentice. Trump’s response: “I let @pennjillette come back on the record 13th season of ‘All Star’ @CelebApprentice after he relentlessly begged me to–good t.v.” Trump tweeted.
David Letterman
David LettermanWhat happened: Letterman, the late-night talk host, accused Trump of racism in April 2011 for questioning how President Barack Obama got into Ivy League universities. Letterman said he wasn’t sure he wanted Trump back on his show, but if Trump did return, he “ought to be prepared to apologize just for that kind of behavior.”Trump’s response: In August 2012, Trump tweeted, “Letterman @Late_Show begging me to go back on his low rated show–calls lots–must apologize for racist comment.”
