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Donald Trump doesn’t do himself many favors when he opens his mouth.
The former president was found liable Tuesday for sexual abuse and defamation in writer E. Jean Carroll’s civil case, and he may well have made it worse for himself had he testified. And that’s just one of the cases on Trump’s busy legal docket, with his hush money criminal case pending in New York and other potential cases brewing in Georgia and Washington, D.C., that strike at the heart of democracy.
So whatever CNN’s town hall Wednesday night in New Hampshire does for Trump’s 2024 prospects, it could provide a platform for self-incrimination in his criminal probes and/or open him up to civil liability if he makes defamatory statements. It’s unclear how the network plans to handle the legally challenged candidate and his opportunistic approach to the truth, but his legal entanglements are germane topics for presidential fitness.
Indeed, Trump’s legal issues could take up a whole program. His defense lawyers no doubt know this and may already be sweating profusely at the prospect of their client voluntarily putting himself on the nationwide stand, as it were.
Given the possibility that Trump is asked about those issues — whether it’s the New York hush money case, the election interference probe in Georgia, the Jan. 6 and Mar-a-Lago special counsel probes, or any civil matters — it wouldn’t be surprising if prosecutors and other lawyers are among those tuning in.
And taking notes.
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