NASHVILLE, Tenn. ― Former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who resigned in 2017 following sexual misconduct allegations, continued recent efforts toward rehabilitating his public image on Saturday during a speech at Politicon. “I know a lot of you might be wondering what I’ve been up to,” Franken said at the event, which some nickname the “Comic-Con of politics.” “Well, when I left the Senate, I said that I was giving up my seat, but I wasn’t going to give up my voice ... and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to do that and how to best make a difference.” Marketed as “An Evening With Al Franken,” the former lawmaker’s speech seemed part stand-up routine (imitating former colleagues including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Chuck Grassley), part walk down memory lane (sharing stories from his time on the Hill and his comedic career), and part political analysis (mocking when House Republicans stormed into a secure room while carrying their cellphones). Franken also spent parts of the speech criticizing Trump.

“I’d like to turn now to the essential task before us, which assuming he’s in the White House a year from now, is defeating the sick, cruel, corrupt psychopath,” Franken said. “Now that’s just my opinion.” “The thing about Donald Trump is in addition to being a compulsive liar, a serial conman, a white supremacist and just kind of a jerk, this guy ... does not know what he is doing,” he added. The crowd, for the most part, was receptive of Franken’s remarks. However, the Music City Center auditorium was not packed. There were many empty seats, with some attendees coming and going during the hourlong remarks.

Politicon crowd for Al Franken pic.twitter.com/XdSty6DfK0 — Ben Terris (@bterris) October 27, 2019

There was one tense moment during the speech. After Franken explained “that’s why I’m a Democrat,” one attendee yelled out, “You’re also a liar, a fraud and a sexual predator.” Franken seemed unfazed. “Ah, don’t go,” he joked as the man left the room. He paused and added, “I’m sorry it’s a serious accusation and I take it seriously,” before returning to his scripted remarks.

. @AlFranken makes his return to the national scene at #Politicon2019, and there’s no holding back this time. Join us at @NashvilleMCC Oct 26 & 27 to hear Franken as he cuts through conventional wisdom to tell it how it really is. Tickets on sale now at https://t.co/lhq3gKgXTV 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/48Uz5b3HVU — Politicon (@Politicon) October 17, 2019

.@SenGillibrand’s statement on Sen. Franken’s resignation as it’s come up in the 2020 campaign: pic.twitter.com/9OSTtpN1DL — Meredith Kelly (@meredithk27) June 4, 2019

In September, SiriusXM announced Franken will host a radio show, with guests including actor and comedian Chris Rock, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and actor and comedian Patton Oswalt. Less than a week after the SiriusXM show was released, another woman came forward claiming Franken groped her in 2006 without her consent. “I don’t say anything at the time, but I felt deeply, deeply uncomfortable,” the unnamed woman told New York magazine. “It was such a confusing experience.” Franken didn’t deny his ninth accuser’s allegation. Instead, he told New York magazine: “Two years ago, I would have sworn that I’d never done anything to make anyone feel uncomfortable, but it’s clear that I must have been doing something. As I’ve said before, I feel terrible that anyone came away from an interaction with me feeling bad.”

.@alfranken “I know a lot of you might be wondering what I’ve been up to.” #politiconpic.twitter.com/6Txqw20QoI — Saba Hamedy (@saba_h) October 27, 2019