Trump booked CNN in hopes of a big audience. Now, they are in the thick of it.

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The verdict comes on the eve of Trumps town hall in New Hampshire moderated by CNNs Kaitlan Collins, a 31-year-old anchor and correspondent who has earned a reputation for challenging Trump as he covers the White House.

Trump signaled that he would take a defensive approach to any questions surrounding the case, writing on Truth Social immediately after the verdict that he had NO IDEA who Carroll was, and that the VERDICT WAS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE MOST DISGUSTING ARRESTS OF WITCH ALL THE TIME! He spent part of the day recording policy videos.

Trump advisers have been in talks for weeks with CNN, which approached them earlier this year about the idea of ​​holding a sit-down. Trump’s decision to agree to the town hall was seen as an implicit jab at Fox News, with whom he has clashed in recent months, and at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has avoided interviews with mainstream media outlets in favor of friendly conservatives.

The verdict immediately divided Republicans on Capitol Hill with some saying it should give voters pause and others arguing it was a continuation of a biased prosecution against the former president. That schism quickly became apparent to Republicans on the campaign trail as well.

Vivek Ramaswamy, who was quick to defend Trump after news of his criminal indictment broke last month, on Tuesday did the same.

I’m not one of the jurors and I don’t know all the facts that they have, but I will say what other people think privately, Ramaswamy said in a statement to POLITICO. If the defendant wasn’t named Donald Trump, would there be a case?

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who called on Trump to drop out of the race after his indictment, said the jury’s verdict should be taken seriously and is another example of Donald Trump’s indefensible behavior.

Over my more than 25 years of courtroom experience, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant disregard for the rule of law can backfire, Hutchinson said in a statement.

Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and Tim Scott did not speak at the verdict. Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence also defended Trump in an interview with NBC News.

Trumps support and fundraising has only grown stronger after previous legal flashpoints, including his indictment over his alleged involvement in a hush money scheme to pay a porn star.

Sarah Longwell, a political strategist and founder of the anti-Trump Republican Accountability Project, said she conducted a focus group last week in which two-time Trump voters were asked about Carroll’s lawsuit. Only one of the seven voters, a woman, heard it and didn’t believe him, Longwell said.

In other recent focus groups with Republican voters, Longwell and his staff talked about how Trumps support is fiercest among women who have already supported him twice.

I wish things were different, but I don’t see it changing anything in a Republican primary, Longwell said of the sexual abuse verdict on Tuesday. The things that will change anything in a Republican primary is whether the field of his opponents for 2024 shows some political backbone and political talent and ability to capture some of the oxygen he’s sucking.

Trumps camp expects Tuesday’s verdict, which found him liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll, for which he was awarded $5 million in damages, to come out of his appearance on CNN tonight. | John Minchillo/AP Photo

A recent NBC News poll found that two-thirds of Republican voters believe the investigations are a politically motivated attempt to stop Trump. But some party strategists are convinced it could hamper his prospects in a general election where he needs to reach beyond his loyal base.

RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was pressed by Fox News’ Martha McCallum on whether Carroll’s ruling or the hush money scheme verdict could have a negative impact on suburban voters and women. McDaniel digressed, saying women were more focused on President Joe Biden’s disappointing administration.

I think we have a long way until the primary process begins, we have debates in August, said McDaniel. I think a lot of women are so incredibly disillusioned with the Biden administration that they’re going to look to the Republican nominee, whoever that is, to advance a counter vision and one that will help moms and kids and suburban families throughout the country.

But the question, which McCallum repeated to other guests, underscored how that group of female voters and suburban women could affect Trump. While Trump did better among women in 2020 than in 2016, Biden led among women in the last election by 11 points.

How Trump will handle the CNN town hall discussion of the case is not a mystery, said Dave Carney, a Republican strategist based in New Hampshire.

He’s going to turn it around, and we can write that script now, Carney said after the verdict was handed down. Judge who hates me, a lady made this up, and blah, blah, blah. He was sure to have something to say about it.

And he did, following that script almost exactly in the posts he made on his social media website throughout Tuesday night.

But for a candidate who won the 2016 election just weeks after a recording was published of him bragging about sexually assaulting women, none of this is new, Carney said, and the Its unlikely voters are still trying to decide about Trumps character.

Do I think any other eyeballs will watch this show without watching it first? No, Carney said of Wednesday’s town hall. Do I think any undecided voter thinks I don’t know about that Trump guy, I’m going to go on CNN and see what he has to say?

CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to include Mike Pences interview with NBC.

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