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USA: Fireworks of lies: Trump’s live appearance on CNN

USA: Fireworks of lies: Trump’s live appearance on CNN

Donald Trump usually likes to attack CNN. Now he uses the television stage for a big performance. He has no political solutions ready, but well-known conspiracy theories.

Normally Donald Trump likes to denigrate the television channel CNN as a medium for “fake news”, now the former US President has used it as a platform for his own false claims. The Republican, who wants to move back into the White House in 2024, did not commit himself on Wednesday evening to recognizing the result of the next US presidential election.

Instead, he repeated the lie about fraud in the last election. The 76-year-old did not have any concrete political ideas ready for the event of his re-election. Instead, he once again agitated against migrants, political opponents and the judicial system. He also announced that he would pardon rioters convicted of storming the US Capitol if they won the election.

The live broadcast was designed as a public question hour, moderated by journalist Kaitlan Collins. Eligible voters who are close to the Republicans or do not identify with them or with President Joe Biden’s Democrats were allowed to ask questions at the event in the US state of New Hampshire.

Trump’s appearance on CNN is very unusual, because he has repeatedly denounced the station as a mouthpiece for liberal propaganda. Trump usually spreads his claims in rambling campaign speeches without question. But this time he had to face the audience – and Collins.

Trump plays down the Capitol storm

In the so-called town hall, the moderator did a good job and immediately tried to refute false statements made by Trump. The former president was not particularly impressed by this. At one point he let out the annoyed comment that Collins was a “nasty person”. The 31-year-old was a former CNN White House Correspondent and known for persistently questioning Trump during his tenure as President. The two clashed in public on several occasions. In July 2018, Collins was barred from a press conference by the White House, sparking protests in the media world.

During his TV appearance, Trump again played down the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, when his supporters violently entered the seat of Parliament in Washington. Congress met there to formally confirm Joe Biden’s victory in the previous presidential election. Five people died as a result of the riots. He made it clear to the convicted rioters that they should hope for Trump’s election victory next year: “I am inclined to pardon many of them,” Trump said. When asked if he would also pardon members of the far-right Proud Boys, he replied evasively: “I would have to look at their case.”

With a view to the presidential election in 2024, his answers did not bode well. When asked if he was committed to accepting the election result, Trump replied, “If I think it’s an honest election, I certainly would.” Collins continued: “Will you commit yourself to accepting the results of the election regardless of the outcome?” Trump’s reply: “If I think it’s an honest choice, I would be honored.” Does history threaten to repeat itself? In any case, in recent years Trump has given the impression that he only considers an election “honest” if he is declared the winner.

Vague statements about the war against Ukraine

Asked about specific political projects, Trump failed to provide meaningful answers. He was also vague on questions about the Russian war against Ukraine. For example, he did not want to commit himself to whether the United States would continue to provide money and weapons to the attacked country under his leadership. “I want Europe to give more money because they laugh at us. They think we’re a bunch of idiots,” he said. He again claimed that the war between Russia and Ukraine, which had been going on for more than 14 months, could be ended in 24 hours. The current US government is giving away so much equipment that there is no more ammunition left for its own troops, he grumbled.

The interview was Trump’s first public appearance after his conviction for sex abuse in a New York civil trial. On Tuesday he was sentenced to millions in compensation to the writer E. Jean Carroll. A New York jury found it proven that Trump sexually abused her in a New York upscale department store in 1996. The whole thing was “a made-up story”, the procedure was a “set up” and the judge was “terrible,” said Trump.

He also commented on the secret documents from his time in the White House that he found on him: Trump claimed that they had lost their classification as secret matters when he took them with him. Like many of his other claims, this one is incorrect.

In the USA, the election campaign is now in full swing. Two weeks ago, President Biden announced that he was seeking re-election. The 80-year-old does not have to fear any major competition within his party. The field of aspirants is larger among the Republicans, but Trump can still calculate his chances and is currently considered the most promising candidate. That should have motivated him to use the CNN format for an election campaign. The station, which he actually hated so much, had been criticized for offering the Republican this stage – especially in front of a rather conservative-minded studio audience. There was frequent applause from the guests in the hall. “You are great,” Trump said in parting.

Source: Stern

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