Trump digs in on election lies, insults accuser during CNN town hall event

FILE – Former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association Convention in Indianapolis, on April 14, 2023.(AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Former President Donald Trump dug in on his lies about the 2020 election during a tense CNN town hall. He also downplayed the violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and repeatedly insulted the woman whom a civil jury this week found him liable of sexually abusing and defaming. During the contentious back-and-forth Wednesday night in early-voting New Hampshire, Trump also refused to say whether he wants Ukraine to win the war against Russian aggression and said the U.S. “might as well” default on its debt obligation, despite the potential devastating economic consequences. The former president was cheered on and applauded by an audience of Republican and unaffiliated voters.