Donald Trump takes on added stakes during CNN’s town hall after the verdict in the case

A CNN Town Hall for Pedestrians and Non-Commmitted New Hampshirers: David Chalian on Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate, and the Insurrection

The CNN town hall will feature Republican and non-committed New Hampshire voters at St. Anselm College. It will be moderated by morning host Kaitlan Collins. She is well-known to Trump, as a former White House correspondent for CNN.

CNN political Director David Chalian said the network approached the event as one for anyone, but also called Donald Trump a “unique candidate” because he is a former president.

And Chalian acknowledged another distinction. Trump trashed governing norms. He was charged in the U.S. Senate but not convicted.

“Obviously, he is under indictment in one case. He’s under investigation in several other cases, and then there’s the insurrection – January 6th – and how Donald Trump left office,” Chalian told NPR before Tuesday’s verdict in the Carroll case. “Our job is to do what we do best, which is to ask him questions, follow up, hold him accountable for his words and actions, and in this case, convene this conversation that he’s going to have directly with voters as well.”

The Trump White House is Not a Fake News Network, nor is it the Beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN,” tweeted CNN’s Chris Licht

Collins carries conservative bona fides as a former reporter for the Daily Caller, founded by Carlson. But she did not display a strong ideological affinity as a CNN White House reporter. She was not seen as a pushover. She was blocked from attending a press conference by the Trump aides, who were angry about her coverage. (The Trump White House unsuccessfully went to court to revoke the credentials of her colleague Jim Acosta.)

That’s a more familiar dynamic for Trump and CNN. He earlier accused the network of “anger and hatred” toward him and said he considered it to be serving as the opposition to his administration.

He is encouraging his followers to tune in. I couldn’t refuse and they made me a deal. On Truth Social, Trump posted. “Could be the beginning of a New & Vibrant CNN, with no more Fake News, or it could turn into a disaster for all, including me.”

The CNN appearance was intended to allow Trump to show his independence from the network favored by his fans. Trump did some interviews with conservative Fox hosts this year as well as Carlson before he left.

The U.S. has a divided government, says Zaslav. We have to hear both of the voices. Republicans are on CNN. The Democrats are on the air. All voices should be heard on CNN.”

Reliable Sources was canceled, and Don Lemon was shifted to the morning. Both hosts had been outspoken against Trump. Lemon was fired this spring after accusations of sexism both on air and toward his female co-hosts. Lemon and his attorney contest those characterizations. Licht has told his staff they are re-establishing the channel’s original identity.

CNN has much to prove, as well. In his first year on the job, chairman and CEO Chris Licht has sought to put his mark on the network by draining it of the relentless criticism of Trump in response to the crises and controversies that defined his administration. Many Republicans argue that CNN had become too ideological.

For months, Trump has been furious with Fox News, which serves as a pillar of the Republican Party and is owned by the Murdochs.

Before the jury foreperson announced the verdict at a courtroom in lower Manhattan Tuesday, the immediate stakes for Trump – and CNN – were already high. They are even higher now.

On the day after he was found liable for defaming and battery of a woman who says he raped her in the 90’s, former president Donald Trump is scheduled to take questions in a live town hall event on the news network that he called “the enemy of the people.”

The spectacle is downright chilling. The event will be broadcasted live, which means that Mr. Trump is free to lie to the audience. His chances of saying something awful about women or witch hunts will increase, thanks to the E. Jean Carroll verdict. And even if he dials down the crazy, his re-emergence on a major prime-time platform raises vexing questions. After everything this antidemocratic, violence-encouraging carnival barker has put America through, are we really going to treat him like a normal candidate this time? CNN and other media outlets can justify giving him a megaphone from which to dominate and degrade the political landscape. Have we learned nothing from the past eight years?

We have learned a lot about the threat Mr. Trump poses to American democracy. But trying to shut him out of the public discussion or campaign process would bring its own dangers. Not only would it play into the politics of victimhood that he peddles with such infuriating effectiveness. It is a risk that the democratic process will be weakened by making the system look weak and even the process itself vulnerable to an autocrat. There aren’t any easy fixes for the MagA king.

Even though Mr. Trump has done nothing illegal, he can still serve a second term in the White House. Many voters consider his double impeachments, his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot and his legal troubles to be disqualifying. Many others don’t. Polls consistently put the former president at the front of the current Republican presidential pack. A recent CBS News-YouGov survey gave him a whopping 36 point advantage over Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida (58 percent to 22 percent) among likely G.O.P. primary voters. No other contender cracked double digits. A new ABC News-Washington Post poll showed him with a six-point lead over the President in the general election.