CNN Town Halls & Debates

By CNN

From Town Halls to Political Debates, CNN hosts open forums that give our audience the chance to hear directly from the people shaping their world. Politicians and newsmakers alike answer the tough qu... more

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How many episodes does CNN Town Halls & Debates have?

The podcast currently has 158 episodes available.

CNN Town Halls & Debates episodes:

February 23, 2016 Hillary Clinton - Democratic Town Hall, South Carolina
CNN town hall: Clinton, Sanders make pitch to minority voters.
Clinton is counting on a strong showing in Southern states likely to showcase her dominance among African-American voters, putting the onus on Sanders to try to broaden his support or face falling behind. The Vermont senator clearly appreciates the urgency and is taking an increasingly tough line against the former secretary of state.
He opened the town hall by reiterating his call for Clinton to release transcripts of paid speeches that she made to Wall Street banks after she left the State Department.
"I am happy to release all of my paid speeches to Wall Street -- here it is," Sanders said, with a wave of his hands. "There ain't none."
Clinton, who appeared on stage after Sanders, sidestepped questions about the senator's call for her to release her speeches.
"If everybody does it, and that includes the Republicans -- because we know they have made a lot of speeches," Clinton said.
She said the real issue was about who had the best plan to crack down on Wall Street.
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57min
February 23, 2016 Bernie Sanders - Democratic Town Hall, South Carolina
CNN town hall: Sanders slams 'racist' GOP efforts.
Bernie Sanders accused Donald Trump and others of fomenting a "racist effort" to delegitimize President Barack Obama, four days ahead of the South Carolina Democratic primary in which African-American voters will play a crucial role.
In a CNN town hall meeting Tuesday in Columbia, South Carolina, Sanders portrayed the "birther" controversy that Trump pushed during Obama's first term as part of a Republican strategy to thwart his presidency, based on the mantra "obstruct, obstruct, obstruct."
"We have been dealing in the last seven years with an unprecedented level of obstructionism against President Obama," Sanders said.
Sanders has been criticized by rival Hillary Clinton in recent debates and town halls for not being sufficiently supportive of the President, who remains popular among many Democrats, especially African-Americans. Sanders is under pressure to improve his standing among minorities before South Carolina's primary and the string of Southern contests that follow on March 1, which could tilt the momentum of the Democratic White House race toward Clinton.
Clinton is counting on a strong showing in Southern states likely to showcase her dominance among African-American voters, putting the onus on Sanders to try to broaden his support or face falling behind. The Vermont senator clearly appreciates the urgency and is taking an increasingly tough line against the former secretary of state.
He opened the town hall by reiterating his call for Clinton to release transcripts of paid speeches that she made to Wall Street banks after she left the State Department.
"I am happy to release all of my paid speeches to Wall Street -- here it is," Sanders said, with a wave of his hands. "There ain't none."
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54min
February 18, 2016 Donald Trump - Republican Town Hall, South Carolina
Trump challenged over claim that Bush lied about Iraq.
Donald Trump challenged over 9/11, Iraq War comments.
Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday that he "could have" signaled support for invading Iraq during a 2002 interview with Howard Stern.
"It was probably the first time I was asked that question," the GOP presidential front-runner told CNN's Anderson Cooper during a South Carolina town hall. "By the time the war started, I was against the war."
He also noted he "wasn't a politician" at the time of the interview.
Ahead of Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary, Trump has repeatedly blasted former President George W. Bush for launching the war.
But Buzzfeed posted Trump's interview with Stern earlier Thursday evening. When asked whether he would support an invasion, Trump responded: "Yeah, I guess so."
Trump's criticism of the war could be a risky move in this miliatry-dominated state. One man in the audience confronted Trump for saying that Bush had lied about the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Trump on Thursday was pressed several times -- both by the questioner and Cooper -- to clarify whether he believes or would again state that Bush had lied about the issue. Trump danced around the question, finally saying, "I don't know what he did."
"I would probably say that something was going on," Trump said. "I don't know why he went in" to Iraq.
Trump vs. Pope Francis
Trump called Pope Francis a "wonderful guy" after the pontiff said Thursday that the GOP presidential front-runner is "not Christian" if he wants to deport undocumented immigrants and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"I don't think this is a fight," Trump said. "I think he said something much softer than was originally reported by the media."
Trump added he would meet with the Pope "anytime he wants."
Earlier at the town hall, Jeb Bush and John Kasich refused to be drawn into the debate between Trump and the Pope.
Kasich simply said he was "pro-Pope."
"This man has brought more sense of hope and more about the do's in life than the don'ts," Kasich said, referring to the Pope. "This guy has been so humble."
Bush, who is a devout Catholic, didn't criticize the Pope's comments. But he said he personally wouldn't "question people's Christianity."
"I think that's a relationship they have with their Lord and savior and themselves. So I just don't think it's appropriate to question Donald Trump's faith," Bush said. "He knows what his faith is."
Trump, who is dominating most South Carolina polls, continued to pound his closest competitor: Ted Cruz.
The billionaire businessman said the Texas senator "has a problem with the truth."
Trump appeared to side with Marco Rubio after the Florida senator's campaign accused Cruz's team earlier Thursday of photoshopping an image to make it appear as though Rubio is shaking hands with President Barack Obama.
"Oh, it was totally photoshopped," Trump said.
"They even made Marco a lot shorter than he is," Trump said, adding that this was "probably the thing that bothered him the most."
He quipped that other tactics the Cruz campaign has used in this election were "disgusting."
Trump has confounded many political observers with his propensity for colorful, unfiltered and inflammatory language as a candidate. When Cooper asked whether he would take on a different tone as president, Trump suggested he could easily switch back and forth between being politically correct -- and not.
"I can be more politically correct than anybody you've ever interviewed," Trump said.
He added: "I can do whatever I want. . . I deal with society. Society loves me."
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49min
February 18, 2016 Jeb Bush - Republican Town Hall, South Carolina
Jeb Bush avoids Trump's Pope fight.
Bush, who is a devout Catholic, didn't criticize the Pope's comments. But he said he personally wouldn't "question people's Christianity."
"I think that's a relationship they have with their Lord and savior and themselves. So I just don't think it's appropriate to question Donald Trump's faith," Bush said. "He knows what his faith is."
Trump will appear at the town hall later in the evening. At a rally earlier in the day on Kiawah Island, he said the Pope's statement was "disgraceful."
Bush shrugged off South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's decision this week to endorse his rival, Marco Rubio.
"I'm marking her down as neutral," Bush quipped.
Pressed by Cooper on how he can still convince voters here that he has momentum, Bush insisted that the momentum is there.
"I do have momentum if you look at the polls and if you look at the crowd sizes of our town hall meetings," Bush said. He pointed to the endorsement he won from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham as a sign of his readiness to be president.
"He could have supported two of his colleagues, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio," Bush said. "He chose me because he believes that I would be ready to serve on day one as commander in chief and as leader of the free world."
A University of South Carolina student told Bush that it seemed to him marijuana was one of the most frequently used drugs on campus, and asked the ex-governor for his stance on legalization.
Bush said he took issue with the term "recreational drug."
"The terminology is probably a little misleading," Bush said, "because of the potency of this generation of marijuana. It has major impacts -- neurological impacts."
He briefly mentioned his daughter's struggles with addiction, and said he believes the government should "focus a little bit more on treatment and a little less on punishment" of individuals convicted on drug-related charges.
One of the more personally revealing moments for Bush came when a questioner asked him to describe how his wife, Columba, has shaped him as a leader. Bush turned to his wife, who was sitting in the audience next to former first lady Barbara Bush, and said, "Sweetie, this is going to be your anniversary present."
He recalled meeting his wife as a young man in Mexico.
"Five o'clock. I can remember exactly where I was on the town square. I can remember exactly what she looked like to this day," Bush said.
The experience of falling for Columba -- "the most beautiful girl I had ever met in my life" -- Bush said, was like being hit with a "lightening bolt."
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40min
February 18, 2016 John Kasich - Republican Town Hall, South Carolina
John Kasich at CNN town hall: I'm 'pro-Pope'.
John Kasich refused to be drawn into the war of words between Donald Trump and Pope Francis on Thursday.
At CNN's South Carolina Republican town hall, Kasich simply said he was "pro-Pope."
The Ohio governor was responding to a question about comments in which Francis said Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to deport undocumented immigrants and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"This man has brought more sense of hope and more about the do's in life than the don'ts," Kasich said. "This guy has been so humble."
Trump will appear at the town hall later in the evening. At a rally earlier in the day at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, he said the Pope's statement was "disgraceful."
Kasich opened the CNN event by reflecting on a campaign trail moment that's quickly gone viral. At a forum in Clemson earlier in the day, a tearful young man confessed to Kasich that after suffering personal losses, he had gone through a very dark period in life. Now, he had found hope in the message that Kasich was taking to voters, he said, prompting the governor to hug the man.
"There are a lot of people out there who are lonely," Kasich told moderator Anderson Cooper. "Could you believe that young man?"
He expressed frustration with the frenetic pace of presidential politics and noted how important it is to "slow down" and listen to people in need.
"We've got to slow down," Kasich told Cooper. "You've got to celebrate other people's wins, and sometimes you've got to sit with them and cry."
Kasich is coming off a strong second-place showing in New Hampshire last week, but with his moderate message, there is little expectation that he will have a strong performance here during Saturday's GOP primary.
When one woman in the audience asked whether he would consider appointing any of his fellow White House hopefuls to his Cabinet, Kasich light-heartedly reminded her that it was much too early in the race.
"Well, look. I'm not going to be measuring like, the drapes. I've got a long way to go. We're really, really early," Kasich said.
He did, however, call one former candidate a "terrific guy" who he would consider appointing to his administration: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
"I like him very much," Kasich said, before saying about the rest of the field: "They all deserve an awful lot of respect. I don't want to fight with them."
Jeb Bush will also attend the town hall this evening. The former Florida governor is campaigning hard for a strong showing in this state, bringing both his brother and mother, former first lady Barbara Bush, out on the campaign trail this week.
The town hall comes as Trump continues to hold a sizable lead in South Carolina. A new CNN/ORC poll released this week had the real-estate mogul on top at 38-percent, followed by Cruz at 22-percent, Marco Rubio at 14-percent and Jeb Bush at 10-percent. Ben Carson and Kasich were at the bottom of the pack, at 6-percent and 4-percent, respectively.
Cruz, Rubio and Carson participated in CNN's first South Carolina town hall Wednesday in Greenville.
At that event, Rubio once again accused Cruz of spreading inaccurate information about his record. Cruz shrugged off being called a liar by both Rubio and Trump, saying: "Both Donald Trump and Marco Rubio are following this pattern -- that whenever anyone points to their actual record ... they start screaming liar, liar, liar."
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7min
February 17, 2016 Marco Rubio - Republican Town Hall, South Carolina
Marco Rubio explains why he isn't the GOP's Obama
At CNN's GOP town hall, Marco Rubio explains why he is qualified to be commander-in-chief despite being a first term senator.
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51min
February 17, 2016 Ben Carson - Republican Town Hall, South Carolina
Ben Carson weighs in on Apple, Supreme Court at CNN town hall
Struggling to keep his campaign afloat, Ben Carson said at CNN's South Carolina town hall that if he were president in his last year of office, he would nominate someone to replace late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
"I probably would take the opportunity to nominate someone. Doesn't necessarily mean that person will be acted on or confirmed," Carson said Wednesday night, ahead of the Palmetto State's Republican primary on Saturday. "Why not do it?"
The retired neurosurgeon is opening a forum that will also feature two other Republican candidates, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Carson also weighed in on the ongoing discussions over whether the cell phone of one of the attackers in the San Bernardino mass shooting should be unlocked.
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31min
February 10, 2016 Barack Obama - Springfield, Illinois Speech February 2016
Obama confronts his political failure on campaign anniversary
Even as he works to accentuate eight years of achievements, President Barack Obama paused Wednesday to highlight where he readily admits he's failed.
Returning to Springfield, Illinois, site of his presidential campaign launch nine years ago, Obama confronted the gaping shortfall between his lofty 2007 rhetoric on changing the country's political discourse, and the reality of politics today: meaner and more divided than ever.
Obama reflected on his time in the Illinois state Senate when he worked with Republicans, even on issues where they didn't agree with. He contrasted that with current political rhetoric, saying in the state Senate they didn't refer to name calling.
"They trusted each other even if they didn't agree," Obama said. "We didn't call each other idiots or fascists who were trying to destroy America."
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1h 1min
February 04, 2016 Democratic Town Hall Wrap Up, New Hampshire
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders clash at CNN town hall Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders traded barbs Wednesday night over who best embodies progressive values.
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40min
February 03, 2016 Hillary Clinton - Democratic Town Hall, New Hampshire
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders clash at CNN town hall
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders traded barbs Wednesday night over who best embodies progressive values.
At a CNN town hall in Derry, New Hampshire, ahead of next Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary, Sanders slammed Clinton, arguing that she's out of step with the party's base on issues ranging from campaign finance to climate change, trade and the Iraq War.
"I do not know any progressive who has a super PAC and takes $15 million from Wall Street," Sanders told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "That's just not progressive. As I mentioned earlier, the key foreign policy vote of modern American history was the war in Iraq. The progressive community was pretty united in saying, 'Don't listen to Bush. Don't go to war.' Secretary Clinton voted to go to war."
Clinton shot back in her session following Sanders, quipping that she was "amused" that the Vermont senator appears to consider himself the "gatekeeper on who's progressive."
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1h

FAQs about CNN Town Halls & Debates:

How many episodes does CNN Town Halls & Debates have?

The podcast currently has 158 episodes available.

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