Smart Guy Donald Trump Went On CNN And Smeared E. Jean Carroll With The Same Lines That Got Him Sued

On Wednesday, CNN did the television version of the dead dove joke from Arrested Development: They gave Donald Trump a platform to spread nonsense, and the day after a jury found him guilty of sexual abuse, no less. Lo and behold, spread nonsense is what he did. The lies came early and often. Within the first minute the former president had told his first whopper. Moderator Kaitlan Collins tried — and always failed — to contain him, because he cannot be contained. It’s hard to highlight the nadir, but perhaps the low point for him, from a legal stand point, was when he once again did the one of the things a jury found him guilty of doing — yesterday.

About 20 minutes into the 70-minute town hall, the biggest of many elephants in the room was finally addressed: The fact that the day before a jury found him guilty of defamation and battery. Tuesday saw the conclusion of the trial involving plaintiff E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of sexually assaulting her in the mid-‘90s. What was Trump’s response? He smeared her and mocked her while the audience, mostly comprised of Republicans who frequently hooted and applauded, laughed.

Trump began by bragging about how his polls went up with GOP voters after he was found guilty. He then repeated claims that he doesn’t “know her” and “never met her” even that he has “no idea who she is.” He then admitted that he posed for a photo with her once. Then he accused her of racism. He also mocked her for naming her cat “Vagina.” Trump thought that should have been allowed in as evidence at the trial.

He proceeded to repeat Carroll’s version of events, with comic asides, all while the crowd laughed at a woman who alleges sexual assault. He concluded by swearing on his children — “which I never do” — that Carroll’s story was made up.

After that, he stood by his comments on the infamous Access Hollywood tape, claiming woman “let you” assault them if you’re famous.

This all aired on CNN, which under the management of Chris Licht has tried to move a bit more rightward. And so they gave a platform to a man with a profound problem with the truth to talk over a moderator who attempted to fact check his tidal wave of lies, with an audience who thought he was a comic genius, even when he was making fun of a woman a jury decided he’d assaulted. They wanted red meat and Trump gave it to them, eventually turning on Collins herself, who he called a “nasty person” after one too many fact checks.

So concluded arguably the worst hour-and-change of TV since at least Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. On the bright side, Carroll’s lawyers are probably cracking open the champagne.