Trump news – live: Trump defends CNN ratings as E Jean Carroll threatens to sue him again over ‘vile’ remarks

Donald Trump has defended CNN over his chaotic town hall appearance on Wednesday evening, saying the network did “the right thing” by giving him a mainstream media platform. The former president has also begun his appeal against the verdict in the E Jean Carroll case after he was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation earlier this week. Ms Carroll, 79, has meanwhile said she may sue Mr Trump for a third time over his “vile” comments during Wednesday’s broadcast, telling The New York Times that his comments were “just stupid, it’s just disgusting, vile, foul, it wounds people”. Her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, told the newspaper: “Everything’s on the table, obviously, and we have to give serious consideration to it.” CNN CEO Chris Licht praised moderator Kaitlan Collins on Thursday for her “masterful performance last night” during an editorial call with network staff, batting away criticism of her failure to bring Mr Trump to heel. “America was served very well by what we did last night,” Licht said, according to media reporter Brian Stelter, who suggested that many of the company’s own employees might not agree with his assessment. Read More CNN is defending its disgusting Trump town hall. But the consequences have only just begun Trump campaign uses footage from Ukraine in attempt to depict Americans suffering from rising housing costs The danger of America’s ageing politicians The two-word slur that tells us everything we need to know about Donald Trump Trump's sexual assault verdict marks a rare moment of accountability. And women are noticing