Donald Trump has become even more dangerous

Republicans and independent audience members laughed at a town hall in the early primary state of New Hampshire on May 10 when Mr. Applause They laughed again when she insisted that “crazy Nancy Pelosi”, not she, was responsible for the violence that occurred during the rally. Rebellion At the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He called it “a beautiful day” and said he wanted to forgive the many convicted rioters who had “love in their hearts”.

Emboldened by his shamelessness, Mr. Trump repeatedly lied, as CNN moderator Caitlyn Collins bravely cut him off and tried to fact-check him in real time. “You’re a bad person,” Mr. Trump finally told her, prompting laughter and guffaws.

Mr. Trump revealed a truth that shone a light into the depths of his despair. He demanded that Republican legislators refuse to take it up credit limit without “drastical cuts” in the budget from the President Joe BidenMs Collins said Mr Trump once said the debt ceiling should not be a means of negotiation.

Mr. Trump said, “That was when I was president.”

“So why is it different now?” Ms. Collins asked.

“Because I’m not president anymore,” he replied with a smile. This destroyed the house. How ridiculous that he would baldly announce that he would completely ruin America’s credibility for politics.

Even while the town hall was underway, CNN faced criticism on Twitter and elsewhere for allowing Mr Trump to take his stage, especially with a friendly studio audience. Mr. Trump probably helped himself with primary voters. Appearing on CNN for the first time since 2016 – for years he has attacked it as “fake news” – he battled the enemies of his fans and rivals like Governor Ron DeSantis Florida’s who stay safe with friendly reporters. Ms. Collins challenged Mr. Trump about his lies about election fraud as forcefully as any journalist to date. But the warped rules of polarization, including the media, meant that his persistence probably won him support.

Yet CNN did the country a favor by showing Americans just how dangerous Mr. Trump is. So far he is running an effective campaign, which suggests a troubling ability to learn from past mistakes. Attacking Mr. DeSantis even before he announced his candidacy, Mr. Trump has been systematically posting three-minute videos in which he describes his policy position. The online publication Politico recently reported that Mr Trump is reaching out to party leaders in states such as Louisiana that are likely to have delegates at the 2024 convention.

And he’s taking his message to general election audiences as well as primary audiences. A new Trump ad released on May 10 featured video of Mr. Biden, who is 80, staggering on the steps of Air Force One and falling from a bicycle. A Washington Post-ABC News poll published on May 7 showed Mr Trump beating Mr Biden in a one-on-one fight.

But, unfettered by his allies, Mr. Trump barricaded himself in town halls for general election campaign purposes. Mr. Biden was raising funds as the event ended (“Do you want four more years of this?” he asked on Twitter) and within half an hour his team had accompanied Mr. Trump’s thoughts on Jan. 6 beauty with images. Issued an advertisement adding violence that day. Should Mr. Trump win the nomination, his claim to overturn abortion rights, along with a number of other comments, would vex him, some of which could even lead to his growing legal threat.

The jury’s verdict on the eve of the town hall came in a civil case in New York federal court brought by E. Jean Carroll, a writer. She accused Mr Trump of raping her in the 1990s and then defaming her after he made the allegations in 2019 when he was president. By a preponderance of the evidence – the standard for a civil case – the jury found that Ms Carroll did not prove rape, but did prove the other charges. It ordered Mr. Trump to pay her $5 million. He said he would appeal.

primary imperative

Mr Trump declined to appear in his defence, but in a videotaped statement he confirmed he believed he said in an “Access Hollywood” video released in 2016 that stars could escape by grabbing women by their genitals . He called that statement “largely”. True, unfortunately or fortunately”. That last adverb, like the jury’s verdict, will not help Mr. Trump win back the suburban women he lost to Mr. Biden by 19 points. “Fortunately for him Or unfortunately,” he said at the town hall by way of terse explanation.

Mr Trump has been impeached twice, and in April he was convicted in New York on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Potentially more serious state and federal charges could emerge. So far, such denunciations have cemented his Republican support. That’s because very few Republican leaders stand up to him. Most of her current and potential opponents for the nomination, including Mr. DeSantis, repeated that mistake after the jury handed down its decision for Ms. Carroll, and deflected questions about it.

But after the town hall, the Political Action Committee supporting Mr DeSantis called it “an hour of nonsense that proves Trump is stuck in the past”. Work. He should show some respect to the country, his party and himself by standing up for the rule of law and simple decency.

Read more from Lexington, our columnist on American politics:

What does walking from Washington to New York tell us about America? (May 4)

Why is Israel becoming a partisan cause in the United States? (27 April)

detroit working again (20 April)

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UPDATE: July 13, 2023, 02:25 PM IST