‘That Evoked Laughter!’ Maggie Haberman Says Was ‘Important’ To Hear Where Trump Voters Are on Mocking Sexual Assault

CNN analyst Maggie Haberman told CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins it was “important” for people to see the audience laugh as ex-President Donald Trump attacked and mocked E. Jean Carroll — whom a jury says Trump sexually abused — at the CNN town hall.

Collins moderated a CNN town hall at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire Wednesday night that devolved into a chaotic spectacle of attacks, falsehoods, and abuse that included almost four solid minutes of verbal assault that prompted Carroll to say she may sue Trump again.

On Thursday night’s edition of CNN Primetime, Collins recapped the town hall, then was joined by a panel consisting of Haberman, David Axelrod, Van Jones, and Republican strategist and former Trump campaign adviser Jason Osborne.

Collins brought up the vocally pro-Trump element of the town hall crowd, and asked Haberman for her insights on that screed against Carroll, as well as her exchange with Trump over classified documents.

Haberman expanded on her previous comments about the documents, and also argued that the shocking laughter at Carroll was instructive for viewers to “understand” that this is “where voters are” with Trump:

COLLINS: And, on that front, one thing to note is we had seen some of these audience members, crowd members, these are either people, who are Republicans, or they’re Independents, who are voting in the New Hampshire Republican primary. That’s what they’re called undeclared voters, there.

These people weren’t walking in a MAGA hats or T-shirts. I’ve been to a million Trump rallies, covering them. It wasn’t that kind of crowd, when you speak to which are those Republicans, who were laughing, when he was making fun of E. Jean Carroll. It certainly wasn’t the whole room. There were certainly some people, who felt uncomfortable with that.

But Maggie, on the front of what he said about E. Jean Carroll, and her attorneys now saying “Maybe we’ll sue him again for defamation,” after he was just ordered to pay $5 million?

HABERMAN: Yes.

COLLINS: Also, what he said about the documents seeming knowingly, do you think he opened himself up to more legal exposure?

HABERMAN: So, I mean, I will tell you that I did a sort of double-take, in the newsroom, when you asked him that question, and he answered the way he did.

And that was a very specific moment, of the town hall. The second half, you were both standing, his entire body language changed. It’s not a topic he likes talking about, as you know. It is a topic he is very worried about, as you know.

And he walked himself into trouble. He said, “I took them. I’m allowed to.” He’s done slight variations, of that before, but not like that. And most noticeably, he would not rule out definitively that he did not show people, classified material, in his possession.

COLLINS: He said, “Not really.”

HABERMAN: “Not really.” And then — and then —

AXELROD: Yes.

COLLINS: Which is not “No.”

HABERMAN: — and then “Not that I can recall.” I mean, it was a very legal answer. And, as we know, and as we’ve all reported, investigators have been asking multiple witnesses, questions, about whether —

AXELROD: Yes.

HABERMAN: — he showed them things.

AXELROD: Actually, “Not really,” is not exactly what — he may have been told to say, “I don’t recall.” But “Not really” is not like “I don’t recall.” I would think that his political adviser —

HABERMAN: And the guy that answer was —

(CROSSTALK)

AXELROD: — I would think his political advisers, who were —

HABERMAN: Yes.

AXELROD: — focused on —

HABERMAN: Right.

AXELROD: — nailing this nomination down, were very happy with what happened last night. And his lawyers were appalled.

HABERMAN: Well, his lawyers, many of them, in the documents case, had become witnesses themselves. So, I’m not even sure how much briefing went on, in terms of that. I agree with you that —

COLLINS: Yes.

HABERMAN: — his political advisers felt pretty good about that. But no, I thought that was a real area of trouble.

I also think that he walked himself into problematic comments, and he was clearly enjoying it. Mocking E. Jean Carroll, we’ll see what happens with that.

But I did think, again, going back to why it is important for people, to hear where voters are. That evoked laughter! That evoked — now, everyone was surprised that the Access Hollywood tape, which is, related to this tape — this case —

COLLINS: Which he defended.

HABERMAN: Which he defended, because he defended it in the deposition, in this case. People were surprised, at the time, that I remember Republicans, Paul Ryan, I think, Kelly Ayotte, standing up at rallies, or events, and getting booed, by Republican voters, because they were critical of him.

This is still there. It is a growing strain. And it’s important for people to understand it.

Watch above via CNN Primetime.