Donald Trump returns to CNN for an hour and a half debate in front of an audience of 400 Republican voters and he has something for everyone.

He attacks Europe, accused of taking advantage of the United States, calls Nancy Pelosi "crazy", calls Florida Governor DeSantis the "bigot", denies knowing the writer Jean Carroll, after being accused of sexual assault and defamation against her. He blames journalist Kaitlan Collins who is interviewing him: "You're bad."

And then he praises himself for the "extraordinary work" done in the White House, promising to solve the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. On January 6, Capitol Hill Day, he says it was "beautiful."

"I did an amazing job"

The return of the former president of the United States to CNN, after years of acrimony with the network, becomes a show. It was Trump's first public appearance after he was accused of sexually assaulting Carroll.

"I did an extraordinary job, so I have to be re-elected," begins the tycoon greeted by a standing ovation from his supporters. Then the arrows to Europe.

"The EU must put more money into the war in Ukraine," instead of taking advantage of the United States. "They think we're stupid," Trump thunders, rattling off figures. "The US has invested 171 billion dollars, Europe has a lot of money, I want them to put more," he insists.

If he were in the White House, he argues, "the war in Ukraine would be over in 24 hours." But when CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins asks him who should win the conflict, whether Kiev or Russia, he doesn't freak out. "I want people – Russian and Ukrainian – to stop dying," he simply says.

He refuses to say whether he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is a war criminal, as the International Criminal Court claims. "It's something to discuss later," he says, saying calling Putin a war criminal would complicate efforts to reach an agreement to end the conflict.

"Drill, baby, auger"

As for domestic politics, the tycoon urges Republicans to cause default. "I want to say to the congressmen and senators out there: If they don't give you the spending cuts you want, you default. It's better than what we're doing now: we spend money like drunken sailors," he says, dictating the Grand Old Party line.

And on the increase in energy prices he proposes his recipe: "Drill, baby, auger". "We have to go back to energy independence like when I was in the White House," the former president adds.

"January 6th, a beautiful day"

On the other hot topic, the insurrection of January 6, the former president maintains his position and defends the rioters who stormed Capitol Hill assuring that he would thank many of them. "It was a beautiful day. I spoke to a huge crowd. The problem is that Nancy Pelosi's crazy woman and the mayor of Washington didn't want to deploy the National Guard," he attacked, calling the former speaker of the Democratic House with the offensive nickname by which she usually calls her.

"I wanted to deploy 1,000 men, but they didn't want to," the former president added. "I asked all protesters to keep the protest peaceful," Trump said, reiterating that the 2020 vote "was rigged."

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Assault on Capitol Hill in Washington

"I don't know Carroll, I swear to my kids"

Donald Trump insists he never knew the writer Jean Carroll, after being convicted of sexual abuse and defamation against her. "She's crazy," he says, eliciting laughter from the crowd. "I don't know her, I swear it on my children. This is a false story, created by art", he points out, arguing that "you cannot have a fair trial in New York or Washington".

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Jean Carroll

"She's a bad person"

During CNN's 'town hall' meeting with the former US president, the discussion on Trump's refusal to hand over confidential documents stored in his Mar-a-Lago club was particularly heated. When moderator Kaitlan Collins interrupted him at one point, Trump replied, "Can I finish?" "Yes, what's the answer?" she said. "She's a bad person," Trump replied.

The journalist, for large stretches dominated by the tycoon, did not remind him of the fact that the images recorded by the FBI proved that among the documents there were at least a dozen files considered "top secret".

"With abortion ban, you save thousands of lives"

Trump also defended the abortion ban, accusing the "radicals" of wanting to "kill the baby in the womb at the ninth, eighth, seventh, or even after it is born."

The former president took credit for ending abortion rights after fifty years thanks to the conservative Supreme Court, in which there are three justices appointed by him.

"I am proud - he added - to have done so and honored to have saved thousands of lives". This passage was greeted by the applause of the audience, present at the face to face organized by CNN. The tycoon then said that he would be willing to negotiate to "find a solution that suits everyone", but reiterated that it is the "radicals who want to kill the baby in the ninth month".

"It's the people who pull the trigger"

"The problem is not the guns, but the people," Trump said on one of the "hot" issues, that of guns. "We have to address mental health," the former president responded to a voter, who asked him how he would guarantee the right to bear arms in the United States. Trump gave the example of Brazil, saying that despite being a country with a very tough gun policy, violence is widespread.

Controversy on CNN

After the "debate", many criticisms rained down on CNN, what Trump considered the "great enemy": it would have given the tycoon the opportunity to relaunch all his messages, sometimes towering over the host, Kaitlan Collins, White House correspondent for the network.

CNN for months has initiated a change of hosts, marginalizing the most anti-Trumpian, to try to win over moderates and return to widen the audience, which has peaked in recent years.

Thus, many on social media underline how Collins proved to be the perfect "shoulder" for Trump, who was able to relaunch all the themes proposed in the rallies, without being pressed: the tycoon reiterated the accusations of fraud in the 2020 elections, speaking of "millions of false votes stuck in the boxes", despite dozens of courts, led by judges also appointed by Trump, determined that the accusations were false.

Chaos also on the "wall" on the border with Mexico. Trump continued to repeat that he had built "hundreds of miles of wall," while the reporter pressed him, saying it was "52 miles," equivalent to eighty kilometers. But the former president repeated that there were hundreds.

There were at least fifteen people brought by Trump's staff, and they were able to sit in the audience, but in the end they were pretty much all for him. The same voters who were tasked with asking the questions actually asked questions that were assists: each question implied a critique of the Biden administration.