Trump news – latest: E Jean Carroll hails sexual abuse trial verdict as Trump rages about her cat

E Jean Carroll has spoken out to describe Tuesday as the “happiest day of my life” after a jury returned a verdict that Donald Trump did sexually abuse her in a dressing room in Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman department store in the 1990s.

Elle magazine columnist Ms Carroll appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday morning to say that she feels “fantastic” about the trial outcome.

“Yesterday was probably the happiest day of my life,” she said.

Ms Carroll, 79, sued the former president for raping her and then “destroying” her reputation when he accused of lying about the encounter, claiming that she wasn’t “my type”.

After almost two weeks of testimony, the jury found Mr Trump liable of sexually abusing Ms Carroll, but did not find that she had proven that he raped her.

As it is a civil case, Mr Trump does not face any jail time and does not have to register as a sex offender but has been ordered to pay Ms Carroll almost $5m in damages for battery and defamation.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to post a string of messages blasting the proceedings as he brought up Ms Carroll’s cat and her relationship with former anchorman John Johnson.

Key points

• What time is the Trump CNN town hall tonight?

• E Jean Carroll says the ‘world finally knows the truth'

• Trump found liable for sexual abuse in E Jean Carroll trial

• Trump falsely claims he ‘wasn’t able to defend myself’ in E Jean Carroll case

• Carroll lawyer calls Access Hollywood tape Trump’s ‘confession'

• ‘Mr Tacopina criticizes Ms Carroll’s testimony, but she showed up'

Trump calls Kaitlan Collins ‘nasty’ in tense exchange over classified documents at CNN town hall

16:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump called Kaitlan Collins a “nasty person” during a tense exchange over classified documents during CNN’s New Hampshire town hall.

During a combative back-and-forth over Mr Trump retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Mr Trump and Ms Collins spoke over each other for several moments.

“Do you mind?” Mr Trump said.

“I would like for you to answer the question. That’s why I asked it,” Ms Collins said.

“You’re a nasty person, I’ll tell ya,” Mr Trump responded, which elicited applause from the GOP-leaning audience.

“Can you answer why you held on to the documents?” Collins asked again.

Read more:

Trump snaps and calls Kaitlan Collins ‘nasty’ in tense exchange at CNN town hall

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasts CNN’s Trump town hall

16:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The progressive Democrat attacked CNN’s programme last night on Twitter, branding the occasion “shameful” as the former president used the event to push lies about the 2020 election and other baseless conspiracy theories.

“CNN should be ashamed of themselves. They have lost total control of this ‘town hall’ to again be manipulated into platforming election disinformation, defenses of Jan 6th, and a public attack on a sexual abuse victim,” the New York lawmaker tweeted.

Graeme Massie has the story.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasts CNN’s Trump town hall as she brands it ‘shameful’

Video: A roundup of Donald Trump’s most outrageous comments from last night’s CNN town hall

15:30 , Joe Sommerlad

If you’d like to relive the horror in full, the Indy TV team has you covered.

Bianca Jagger: ‘Shame on America if it allows Trump to stand for office'

15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

“For centuries, women have fought against sexual abuse and inappropriate advances. This was highlighted by the #MeToo movement, depicted so powerfully in cinemas recently in the film She Said, which followed The New York Times’s investigation that exposed Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse against women. It illustrated how the exposure of men’s worst behaviour sparked a non-violent revolution among women.

“Yesterday in a Manhattan federal court in the US, we witnessed another such moment.

“Trump wants to be the most powerful man in the world. He wants to lead America again. Yet he is an embodiment of the worst moral bankruptcy.”

You can read Bianca Jagger’s Indy Voices op-ed in full below.

Shame on America if it allows Trump to stand for office | Bianca Jagger

Fifteen-month prison sentence for Capitol rioter who dangled from Senate balcony

14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

An Idaho man who traveled to Washington in a car loaded with weapons and was photographed dangling from the Senate balcony during the Capitol riot was sentenced on Wednesday to 15 months in prison.

Josiah Colt, one of the first rioters to reach the Senate floor on 6 January 2021, pleaded guilty later that year to obstructing Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s White House victory.

Read more below.

Idaho man who dangled from Senate balcony during Capitol riot receives 15-month prison sentence

The danger of America’s aging politicians

14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

In what ways will generational conflicts define the future of American politics?

Josh Marcus finds out.

The danger of America’s aging politicians

Trump praises New Hampshire audience and reposts praise from MAGA courtiers

13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Not entirely surprisingly, Trump has been busy retweeting, sorry, “retruthing” praise for his CNN performance on Truth Social from the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ronny Jackson, Jim Justice and Andy Biggs.

He was otherwise unexpectedly gracious about the experience, stopping only to thank the live studio audience rather than critiquing Kaitlin Collins’s handling of the moderator role.

Trump refuses to say he wants Ukraine to win war with Russia

13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump refused to say he backed Ukraine to fend off Russia’s bloody and illegal invasion on CNN last night.

The one-term president was repeatedly asked by Kaitlan Collins if he supported Ukraine in its 15-month resistance effort against Vladimir Putin’s forces and repeatedly dodged the question.

Read more below.

Trump refuses to say he wants Ukraine to win war with Russia

Trump calls Jan 6 a ‘beautiful day’

12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump also doubled-down on his support for his supporters who attacked the US Capitol last night.

“It was a beautiful day,” he insisted of 6 January 2021, adding that his acolytes “were there with love in their hearts”, overlooking the fact that five people were killed in the attempted insurrection, dozens of police officers were injured and the mob threatened to hang US vice president Mike Pence and Democratic lawmakers.

John Bowden reports.

Trump calls Jan 6 a ‘beautiful day’ during combative CNN town hall

Trump ‘swears on his children’ he has not met E Jean Carroll then mocks her

12:00 , Oliver O’Connell

A defiant Donald Trump told the New Hampshire town hall audience that he has never met the woman who a New York jury said he sexually assaulted in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.

Asked about the civil verdict against him in a civil suit brought by writer E Jean Carroll, Trump claimed the former Elle advice columnist’s lawsuit was “election interference” and denied knowing her.

You can read more on his comments below.

Trump ‘swears on his children’ he has not met E Jean Carroll after sex abuse verdict

Trump snaps and calls Kaitlan Collins ‘nasty’ in tense exchange

11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump called Kaitlan Collins a “nasty person” during a tense exchange over classified documents in New Hampshire last night.

During a combative back-and-forth over Mr Trump retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Trump and Collins spoke over each other for several moments.

Here’s how it played out.

Trump snaps and calls Kaitlin Collins ‘nasty’ in tense exchange at CNN town hall

Trump refuses to acknowledge he lost ‘rigged’ 2020 election

11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump refused to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden at CNN’s controversial town hall event and called his defeat “rigged” and “sad.”

The one-term president was immediately confronted by host Kaitlan Collins over his election lies and was asked to finally admit that he had been fairly and legally beaten by Mr Biden.

It didn’t go well.

Trump refuses to acknowledge he lost ‘rigged’ 2020 election in CNN town hall event

Lisa Bloom: ‘I represented Trump’s accusers – he has been caught in his truth'

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

“Because five courageous women stood together, E Jean Carroll won her sexual abuse and defamation case against Donald Trump. Five women said yes, I will brave the haters, the threats, the public attacks by Trump supporters; yes, I will hold my head high and walk into that courtroom; yes, I will answer all the questions posed to me with poise and dignity; yes, I will endure cross-examination by Trump’s bare knuckles lawyers; yes, I will do it all, I will overcome the natural terror anyone would feel at doing this, the anxiety, the sleepless nights, because enough is enough, because justice matters. And that’s exactly what they did.”

You can read Lisa Bloom’s Indy Voices op-ed on the Carroll verdict in full below.

I represented Trump’s accusers. He has finally been caught in his truth

Andrew Feinberg: ’What was CNN thinking?’

10:00 , Joe Sommerlad

“I spent four years covering then-president Trump in the White House. Before that, I watched him on the campaign trail. Since leaving office, he has never really left the political scene. And one thing is clear about Donald Trump – he does not change, ever,” writes Andrew Feinberg for Indy Voices.

You can read his take on last night’s town hall below.

Disastrous Trump town hall begs the question: What was CNN thinking?

Liz Cheney launches new anti-Trump ad

09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The political action committee founded by former Wyoming representative Liz Cheney is out with a television ad warning Americans that former president Donald Trump “is a risk America can never take again”.

The 60-second ad ran on CNN before and after Mr Trump’s appearance on Wednesday’s town hall.

Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC.

Cheney launches anti-Trump ad ahead of ex-president’s CNN town hall

All you need to know about Kaitlan Collins

09:00 , Stuti Mishra

Last night’s moderator, rising star Kaitlin Collins, was once banned from a White House event for asking awkward questions about Vladimir Putin.

Now facing questions about the decison to host the controversial town hall, Collins previously worked as a White House correspondent for CNN and gained attention for her coverage of the Trump presidency and her bold questioning of the former president.

Here’s everything you need to know about her.

Who is Kaitlan Collins, the CNN anchor hosting the Trump town hall?

Trump launches vicious attack on ‘whack job' E Jean Carroll

08:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump used his platform on CNN to lash out at E Jean Carroll just a day after a jury found that he had sexually abused and defamed the former Elle magazine columnist.

The twice-impeached president, who was found liable for defamation and ordered to pay a total of $5m, mocked Ms Carroll at the CNN town hall that aired just a day after the verdict.

“This is a fake story. Made-up story,” Trump said, adding, “I have no idea who the hell she is. She’s a whack job.”

Here’s what else he had to say.

Trump uses CNN town hall to launch vicious attacks on E Jean Carroll

Video: Trump refuses to acknowledge he lost ‘rigged’ 2020 election in CNN town hall event

08:30 , Stuti Mishra

Key takeaways from CNN’s divisive town hall

08:00 , Stuti Mishra

From calling 6 January a “beautiful day” to repeating long-debunked claims about the 2020 election, what transpired over the nearly 90-minute broadcast of CNN’s controversial town hall with Donald Trump was almost nostalgia-evoking.

Here’s a look at exactly why Wednesday’s return to mainstream cable news by the former president was so significant and why the network faced ridicule from all sides before the evening ended.

Five key takeaways from CNN’s divisive town hall with Donald Trump

Network’s own anchors criticise Trump platforming

07:00 , Stuti Mishra

CNN’s move to give Donald Trump a platform to repeat the debunked lies about elections and other favourite falsehoods is being widely criticised by political commentators.

Even the network’s own anchors challenged the event.

Following Wednesday’s programme, Jake Tapper, for one, lashed out at the former president for calling a “Black law enforcement officer a thug” and for making fun of E Jean Carrol’s sexual assault.

Here’s what he and others had to say.

CNN’s anchors and insiders lead horrified reaction to Trump town hall

Video: Trump calls Jan 6 a ‘beautiful day’ during CNN town hall

06:30 , Stuti Mishra

CNN sparks fury with Trump’s ‘volcano of bulls***’ town hall

06:00 , Stuti Mishra

Former president Donald Trump’s hour-long appearance at a CNN town hall saw him repeating the debunked lies about the 2020 election, refusing to support Ukraine and praising the 6 January rioters.

Trump’s refusal to accept reality confirmed the fears of Democrats and many media figures who believed that CNN’s decision to platform the disgraced former president would allow him to spew untruths with abandon, The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg writes.

You can read his assessment in full below.

CNN sparks fury with Trump town hall where he repeats Big Lie and gives Putin a pass

Video: Trump says ‘cunning’ Putin made ‘tremendous mistake’ with invasion

05:15 , Stuti Mishra

'Do not normalise Donald Trump': Lincoln Project hits out at CNN for 'outlandish' townhall

04:30 , Stuti Mishra

The Lincoln Project has issued a scathing attack on CNN after Trump’s town hall appearance, accusing the network of “malpractice” in order to get ratings.

“CNN gave Donald Trump a campaign kickoff celebration tonight,” the organisation wrote in a release. “Chris Licht sold out CNN’s values to chase Tucker Carlson’s viewers in a desperate attempt to find lost ratings.”

The Lincoln Project

The statement called the broadcast an “outlandish and shameful display” that “could have been avoided and prevented.”

“CNN’s malpractice cannot be repeated if our democracy is to survive. The stakes are simply too high,” it said.

Biden give searing one-line critique of Trump town hall

04:00 , Oliver O’Connell

President Joe Biden went after his old 2020 rival on Wednesday as Donald Trump attempted to make his case for a third presidential bid during the CNN town hall.

Mr Biden joined with others commenting on the ex-president’s combative performance. He asked whether Americans were really ready for another four years with a brash mudslinger in the White House.

John Bowden reports.

Biden takes aim at Trump town hall with searing one-line critique

CNN sparks fury with Trump’s ‘awful’ town hall

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg reports on how the former president blustered through an hour including repeating the Big Lie and giving Vladimir Putin a pass.

CNN sparks fury with Trump town hall where we repeats Big Lie and gives Putin a pass

Trump hails ‘AMAZING’ New Hampshire crowd

03:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Just a simple Truth Social post from the former president after tonight’s town hall (so far).

“Hope everyone enjoyed CNN tonight. The New Hampshire audience was AMAZING. Thank you!”

Hakeem Jeffries lays out GOP’s philosophical pillars under Trump

03:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Hakeem Jeffries says on MSNBC: “The Republican Party under Donald Trump and Trumpism has three basic philosophical pillars. One, facts don’t matter. Two, hypocrisy is not a constraint to their behaviour. And three, they actually believe that shamelessness is a superpower.”

Liz Cheney fact checks Trump on Jan 6 National Guard deployment

03:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Republican Rep Liz Cheney did her own fact check of Donald Trump’s claims about offering to deploy the National Guard on January 6.

“Donald Trump gave no order to deploy the National Guard to protect the Capitol prior to or on Jan 6. Listen to the testimony of his own secretary of defense. No matter how many times Trump lies about this the facts won’t change. He is unfit for any office”

Chris Christie calls Trump ‘Putin’s puppet’

03:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump calls Kaitlan Collins ‘nasty person’ in tense exchange

03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump called Kaitlin Collins a “nasty person” during a tense exchange over classified documents during CNN’s New Hampshire town hall.

During a back-and-forth over Mr Trump retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Mr Trump and Ms Collins spoke over each other for several moments.

Trump calls CNN moderator ‘nasty person’ in tense exchange over classified documents

Gov Hogan says Trump has no business leading party back to White House

03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan says “There’s a lot that can be said about Trump’s CNN Town Hall.”

He continues: “What can’t be said is that person who calls January 6th a ‘beautiful day’ and refuses to say he sides with Ukraine against Russian aggression has any business leading our party or back in the White House.”

How CNN summed up the broadcast

02:51 , Oliver O'Connell

CNN anchor Jake Tapper summed up how the night went.

Biden rips Trump ‘beautiful day’ description of January 6

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

‘Predictably disastrous CNN town hall was indeed disastrous'

02:41 , Oliver O'Connell

Former NBC, ABC, CBC news executive Mark Lukasiewicz says: “The predictably disastrous CNN town hall was indeed disastrous. Proving again: Live lying works. A friendly MAGA crowd consistently laughs, claps at Trump’s punch lines — including re sex assault and Jan 6 — and the moderator cannot begin to keep up with the AR-15 pace of lies.”

He added: “Trump lies not once, not twice, but three times about abortion doctors killing babies after birth. No moderator pushback. Time for a commercial break.”

Watch: AOC calls platforming of disinformation ‘profoundly irresponsible’ and ‘shameful'

02:37 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump refuses to say he wants Ukraine to win war with Russia

02:33 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump refused to say he supported Ukraine to win its bloody war with Russia as he appeared on a controversial live CNN town hall.

The one-term president was repeatedly asked by host Kaitlan Collins if he backed Ukraine in its 15-month conflict with Vladimir Putin’s forces, and repeatedly dodged the question.

Graeme Massie reports.

Trump refuses to say he wants Ukraine to win war with Russia

Biden campaign tweets a response

02:17 , Oliver O'Connell

“It’s simple, folks. Do you want four more years of that?”

“If you don’t, pitch in to our campaign.”

02:13 , Oliver O'Connell

There are further heated back-and-forths regarding his call with Georgia election officials.=

If he is the Republican nominee, Trump says he will only accept the results of the 2024 presidential election if he feels it is an “honest one”.

The town hall draws to a close.

Trump shakes Kaitlan Collins’s hand and says: “You did a good job,” moments after calling her a “nasty person”.

02:05 , Oliver O'Connell

After insisting he answer a question about the documents Trump says to Collins: “You are a nasty person.”

He has not changed.

Collins does not flinch.

02:03 , Oliver O'Connell

After another break, questioning moves on to the classified documents that were found at Mar-a-Lago.

“I took the documents, I’m allowed to,” Trump says.

Collins pushes back when he asserts his incorrect interpretation of the Presidential Records Act.

01:56 , Oliver O'Connell

Unsurprisingly, Trump will not call Putin a war criminal in addition to refusing to say whether he wants Ukraine to win, and appearing opposed to more military aid.

01:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Moving on to Ukraine, Trump won’t say whether he will continue to support Ukraine in Russia’s invasion and war.

Asked if he wants Ukraine to win the war, he replies: “I don’t think in terms of winning and losing.”

Asked again, he replies: “I want everybody to stop dying. They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians.”

AOC says CNN should be ashamed of themselves

01:53 , Oliver O'Connell

01:49 , Oliver O'Connell

After a short break, the town hall continues with an audience question about the end of Title 42 and what he would do about immigration.

It quickly turns to Trump claiming to have finished building the wall on the southern border.

Collins challenges him on this several times by saying he only built 52 miles of new wall.

He then claims he would have finished it had there not been a “rigged election”.

“The election was not rigged, Mr. President,” Collins says. “You cannot keep saying that all night long.”

Trump has, in fact, said the election was rigged all night long, and he doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime soon.

Trump refuses to acknowledge he lost ‘rigged’ 2020 election

01:44 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump refused to acknowledge that he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden at CNN’s controversial town hall event and called his defeat “rigged” and “sad.”

The one-term president was immediately confronted by host Kaitlan Collins over his election lies and was asked to finally admit that he had been fairly and legally beaten by Mr Biden.

Graeme Massie reports.

Trump refuses to acknowledge he lost ‘rigged’ 2020 election in CNN town hall event

Trump ‘swears on his children’ he has not met E Jean Carroll

01:43 , Oliver O'Connell

A defiant former president Donald Trump on Wednesday told a CNN town hall audience that he has never met the woman who a New York jury said he sexually assaulted in a department store dressing room in the 1990s.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Trump ‘swears on his children’ he has not met E Jean Carroll after sex abuse verdict

01:42 , Oliver O'Connell

On abortion and the Dobbs ruling, Trump says: “The fact that I was able to terminate Roe vs. Wade... I was so honoured to have done it.”

“I consider the other side to be radical,” Trump says. “They could kill the baby in the ninth month or after the baby was born — now they will not be able to do that.”

There is no pushback on this statement.

Trump won’t say what kind of specific abortion ban he would support.

01:39 , Oliver O'Connell

On guns, Trump says the focus is mental health and hardening schools against attack.

01:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump tells Republican members of Congress to stand firm on the debt ceiling even if it means default.

“I say to the Republicans out there, Congressmen, Senators, if they don’t give you massive cuts, you’re going to have to do a default,” he said.

Asked why he has changed his position on using the debt ceiling to negotiate, he says: “Because now I’m not president.”

He says that we might as well default now because “you’ll do it later”.

How is Collins doing?

01:33 , Oliver O'Connell

While Collins is sternly interjecting and fact-checking where she can, Trump talks over her and steamrolls onward. Laughter from the friendly audience is not helping keep things on track.

01:28 , Oliver O'Connell

After saying the January 6 rioters couldn’t get a fair trial in Washington, DC, he adds that he couldn’t in New York either and Collins turns the questioning to the E Jean Carroll verdict.

He repeats his false claims that he has never met her and then proceeds to mock her and adds that his polls have gone up.

There is laughter in the audience.

01:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Asked by a voter if he would pardon the January 6 rioters, Trump says he is “inclined to pardon many of them,” but he can’t promise to pardon “every single one because a couple of them probably got out of control.”

01:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump says he doesn’t owe Mike Pence an apology because of what he went through on January 6.

“He did something wrong.”

Trump immediately brings up Ashli Babbitt’s death calling her a “patriot” who was shot by a “thug”.

01:14 , Oliver O'Connell

The next question from Collins is about January 6 and the Capitol riot.

Trump calls it a “beautiful day” and says a lot of the audience was probably there.

He reads tweets from the day before the riot nad the morning of it.

01:11 , Oliver O'Connell

Collins challenges Trump saying Republican officials debunked his claims about fraudulent ballots.

01:07 , Oliver O'Connell

After Trump reels through various conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, Collins interjects.