Donald Trump's first campaign appearance, hosted by CNN at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, was exactly what was feared: a big show. And a frightening glimpse into the possible political future of the country.
Trump faced questions from moderator Kaitlin Collins and local Republican or undecided voters at a town hall, and he delighted the audience with falsehoods, meanness, and ridiculous promises.
Undeterred by Collins' objections, he insisted on his lie that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him and held out the prospect of pardoning the convicted ringleaders of the storming of the Capitol. As president, he promised to "resolve" Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine within 24 hours, and he made fun of E. Jean Carroll, who had recently won a lawsuit and five million dollars in damages for sexual abuse against him.
What did Bannon say? "Flood the zone with shit"
The audience acknowledged his remarks about the investigations against him allegedly for the purpose of election interference, the alleged "destruction of America" by "incredibly stupid people", the mockery of Carll and the blunt refusal to answer the questions of the moderator Collins with laughter and applause.
Collins tried hard to counter the barrage of lies with facts, but she didn't stand a chance against what former Trump adviser Steve Bannon called "flood the zone with shit." Trump ran them up again and again, much to the amusement of the audience. When she persisted with questions about the government documents he took with him to his private residence, he called her a "nasty person." The audience cheered: a Trump classic!
It was the renaissance of the well-known, hideous show – only incomparably scarier than before the Capitol storming of January 6, 2021. It makes it clear that Trump and his supporters have settled into a world that is simply not permeated by facts. The Capitol stormers were there because of the rigged election, "proud and with love in their hearts," Trump said to applause. His Vice President Mike Pence, whose head the demonstrators had demanded, was never really in danger, according to Trump. But it would have been better for Pence not to certify the election according to Trump's instructions. "Then we would have a different situation now." Here, too, there was applause. When asked about his misogynistic remarks, he claimed that it has been "a million years" that women "allow" powerful people to grab their genitals – the audience giggled.
Forum for a demagogue
Trump's first appearance on CNN since 2016 was a big forum for a demagogue. Many had been said that one had to learn the journalistic lessons from the 2016 election campaign and the Trump presidency, such as that the show value of a Trump appearance simply outshines the corrections of his lies. The audience in New Hampshire proved this. MSNBC had noted in advance that then-CNN chief Jeff Zucker had called it a "mistake" to have broadcast one Trump election event after another. Now CNN has to ask itself again how useful it is to try to deal with a dangerous dazzler with facts.