Has Trump emerged stronger after the town hall session?

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In a rare departure from the cocooned echo chambers of right-wing media, the ultra-populist leader of the US Republican Party, Donald J Trump, subjected himself to an extended grilling on CNN Town Hall. 

The high-stakes public event, held on 10 May, offered a tantalising glimpse into the political machinations of the man who harbours hopes of a second crack at the White House in 2024. 

With an audience predominantly composed of Republican loyalists, Trump basked in a sea of adoration, regaling his supporters with incisive jabs at his rivals which elicited rounds of raucous laughter and applause. 

Despite the admirable tenacity and expertise of Kaitlan Collins, who had the role of interviewer, the evening was marred by a litany of fictions and distortions. Throughout the 70-minute event, Collins valiantly confronted Trump’s oratory and repeatedly countered his claims of election fraud with facts and evidence. 

Unfortunately, Trump remained undeterred in his mission to sow disinformation and confusion, persistently peddling the same tired narrative. 

The event showcased Trump’s mastery of the art of the Big Lie, a tactic he has employed with chilling effectiveness to manipulate and mislead his support base. 

Ignoring Collins’s fact-checking, and attempting to speak over her, Trump bombarded viewers with a barrage of fabrications, using his trademark bluster and intimidation to dominate the stage. This display of extreme bullying only served to perpetuate the dangerous disinformation that has taken root within a disturbingly large segment of the Republican Party.

The echoes of the 2016 presidential campaign were palpable during Trump’s appearance in which he unleashed wild and unfounded claims in a spectacle reminiscent of his infamous social media tirades. 

The event was held in front of a predominantly Republican audience, who cheered and applauded Trump’s every word, and this unintended endorsement only served to embolden him. 

According to sources close to Trump, the former president was pleased with his appearance onCNN Town Hall, despite the controversy it stirred and the backlash it elicited from both the public and the network’s own employees. 

Trump’s primary motivation for participating in the event was to generate content for his social media campaign and his choice of CNN as the platform was reportedly driven by a belief that the network would provide more opportunities for his surrogates to appear. It seems he was unfazed by the criticism, more interested in using any opportunity available to advance his interests and agenda. 

The event was a contentious and heated affair, covering a wide range of issues including abortion, Ukraine, personal controversies, treatment of women and his claims of election fraud. 

In his response to Collins’s opening question about his qualifications for another presidential run, Trump dove straight into his well-worn claims of fraud in the 2020 elections. Though he took a more subdued tone than usual, he again referred to the election as “rigged”. 

Collins urged him to publicly acknowledge his loss to Joe Biden, but Trump refused, instead continuing with his claims of voter fraud. When pressed by Collins on why he didn’t ask his supporters to leave or send help during the 6 January insurrection, Trump deflected and tried to shift the blame onto Nancy Pelosi, who was speaker at the time. 

He even pulled out printed copies of his Twitter posts from that day, in which he finally asked his supporters to leave, hours after the attack began. Despite the fact that over 1 000 people have been charged and over 600 have been convicted for their roles in the violence, Trump expressed an inclination, if re-elected as president, to pardon many of them. He also boasted about the size of the crowd he spoke to before the attack and said they believed the election was rigged. He praised his supporters for being there and called it a “beautiful day”, showing a stunning lack of remorse for the violent events that unfolded.

On the topic of a potentially catastrophic debt-ceiling deadline, Trump weighed in with his characteristic brand of economic and political analysis. Rather than taking the threat of default seriously, he suggested that Democrats must agree to massive spending cuts if the debt ceiling is to be raised at all. 

In a typical display of his unorthodox foreign policy views, Trump once again voiced his admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he referred to as “a smart guy”, while also criticising his decision to invade Ukraine. 

Without providing any evidence, Trump suggested that, under his presidency, Putin would never have made such a move. When asked whether he would continue providing aid to Ukraine to counter Russian aggression, Trump remained evasive and refrained from taking any side in the ongoing conflict, simply stating his desire for an end to the bloodshed. 

Trump defended his decision to store classified government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, despite ongoing scrutiny from the Justice Department. According to Trump, he was well within his rights to do so. 

While he did mention that other presidents and vice presidents had taken documents with them on leaving office, he neglected to mention that he had defied a subpoena to turn over his own documents. 

In response to a question about the supreme court’s overturning of abortion rights, Trump claimed credit for the appointment of three of the justices who joined the majority ruling, touting it as a “great victory”. 

Despite the misleading interpretation of a senate vote, Trump repeatedly accused abortion rights supporters of wanting to “kill a baby” in the ninth month of pregnancy or even after birth. When asked if he would sign a national abortion ban if re-elected, Trump dodged the question, only stating he would negotiate to make people happy and do what he believed was right, without clarification. 

With his display of populism, Trump might have jeopardised his appeal to critical voting blocs in the general election, including women, suburbanites and independents. 

However, the event also underscored his formidable hold on conservative voters who will soon determine the GOP’s presidential nominee. As he transformed his biggest political vulnerabilities into punchlines and cheers, Trump showcased the daunting obstacle his Republican challengers face. 

After the town hall, even his most vocal GOP detractors admitted their uncertainty about how to impede his momentum. Apparently, Trump is the clear frontrunner in the upcoming GOP primary, with the first votes set to be cast early next year and the nomination to be formally decided a few months later. 

However, Trump’s Republican opponents have been hesitant to use his most egregious behaviour against him, fearing that such attacks could alienate the same conservative voters they are hoping to win over. As a result, the challenge of defeating Trump in the primary is becoming increasingly daunting for his rivals.

Dr Imran Khalid is a freelance columnist on international affairs based in Karachi, Pakistan. He qualified as a physician at Dow Medical University in 1991 and has a master’s degree in international relations from Karachi University.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.