Originally published May 11, 2023 7:18 am PDT
During a contentious CNN New Hampshire town hall on Wednesday night, former President Donald Trump faced off with CNN host Kaitlan Collins, accusing her of being “a nasty person” as she persistently questioned and interrupted him.
At one point, Collins asked Trump about de-classified documents that were stored at Mar-a-Lago, which led to a politicized DOJ raid with FBI agents and CNN camera crews at his Florida residence.
“Why did you take those documents with you when you left the White House?” she inquired.
Trump responded, “I had every right to under the Presidential Records Act,” and added, “I took what I took and it gets de-classified.” He then compared his actions to those of his predecessors, stating, “Biden on the other hand, he has 1,850 boxes, he had boxes sent to China Town – China Town – where they don’t even speak English.”
The 45th President also mentioned that other presidents like Obama, Nixon, and Reagan took documents with them as well.
Despite Trump’s explanations, the exchange escalated into a heated back-and-forth, with Collins interrupting and defending President Biden at every opportunity.
Eventually, Trump asked, “Are you ready? Can I talk?”
Collins replied, “Yeah, what’s the answer?”
As she continued to speak over him, Trump said, “Do you mind?” before finally telling her, “You are a nasty person, I tell ya,” which was met with applause from the audience.
In another segment of the town hall, Collins questioned Trump about his response to the January 6th Capitol incursion.
She asked, “When they went to the Capitol and they were breaking into the Capitol, smashing windows, injuring police officers, why did it take you three hours to tell them to go home?”
Trump came prepared, pulling out a stack of papers from his blazer.
He cited a tweet from January 5th, stating, “Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!”
He then referred to another tweet sent on January 6th at approximately 2:38 p.m. ET, around 45 minutes after the incursion began, in which he urged the participants to remain peaceful and respect the law: “I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful. No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order — respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
During the same CNN New Hampshire town hall, host Kaitlan Collins confronted former President Donald Trump about his refusal to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election and the subsequent Capitol riot, questioning his eligibility for a potential return to the White House.
Collins pointed out Trump had “not acknowledged the 2020 election results, but you are also under active federal investigation for trying to overturn the 2020 election results.”
“Your first term ended with a deadly riot at the Capitol, and you still have not publicly acknowledged the 2020 election results. Why should Americans put you back in the White House?” she asked.
In response, Trump maintained his stance on the election outcome, stating, “I think that when you look at that result, and when you look at what happened during that election, unless you’re a very stupid person, you see what happened.”
He further claimed that the election was rigged and detrimental to the country, adding, “All over the world, they looked at it and they saw exactly what everyone else [saw].”
