The former US President spoke up after the court hearing.
(Photo: dpa)
new York Donald Trump is back in attack mode. Just hours after the former US President pleaded “not guilty” to 34 charges, he is in his element. At his golf club in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, the Republican spoke for the first time in detail about the historic court case against him.
The event was similar to the many rallies the 76-year-old has held in recent years. Large American flags in the background, and the song “I’m Proud to be an American” as a greeting. Trump used the event to protest his innocence and to stir up opposition to his opponents. Trump, who plans to run for the White House again in 2024, said the charges against him were “massive electoral interference on a scale that our country has never seen before”. “The country is going to the dogs,” complained the predecessor of US President Joe Biden.
Trump handed out not only against Biden’s Democrats, but also against District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the responsible judge Juan Merchan, and their families. Merchan had warned Trump in the courtroom not to cause any unrest with his statements.
“But Trump, as we know, continues to push the boundaries of what is appropriate,” biographer and New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said on CNN. Trump called Merchan a “Trump-hating judge” and branded Bragg a “criminal” who allegedly leaked classified information to the press.
The ex-president used the speech to revive old conspiracy theories against Biden and his son Hunter, and spent much of his time complaining about the raid on his home related to classified documents. “Our justice system has become lawless,” Trump said. Also in the room were his sons Eric and Donald Junior, his daughter Tiffany, and far-right Republican MP Marjorie Taylor Greene, who also spoke briefly to Trump’s supporters in court in New York. Many of the major TV stations canceled the speech.
Experts criticize the indictment
Former Deputy FBI chief Andrew McCabe has sharply criticized Trump for his attacks on the judge and the prosecutor. However, the lawsuit itself was a “disappointment,” he told CNN that evening. “Everyone had hoped that we would learn more about it.” The public prosecutor’s office accuses Trump of falsifying business documents.
According to legal experts, however, this only becomes a criminal offense if it is used to cover up another crime. “And I don’t see that,” McCabe said of the lawsuit. He was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama.
Trump critics from his own party also criticize the indictment. Republican Senator Mitt Romney and Trump’s former national security advisor, John Bolton, who has sharply criticized Trump for years, point to weak arguments from prosecutors. Trump is the first ex-president in US history to face criminal charges. At the center of the allegations is the payment of hush money to a porn actress.
Trump, meanwhile, was able to use the indictment to mobilize his supporters. He rose in the polls and was able to further extend his lead over the other Republican presidential candidates. 48 percent of Republicans now want to vote for him, up from 44 percent in March, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Monday. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, on the other hand, supports only 19 instead of 30 percent of those polled a month ago.
Since the indictment became known last Tuesday, Trump has also collected eight million dollars in donations, according to his campaign team. Half of them should have arrived within the first 24 hours. Trump also used the procedure on Tuesday to collect new funds. As he sat in the courtroom, his team emailed his supporters, tempting them with new campaign t-shirts. A fake mugshot of Trump is printed on it. Beneath it is written in large letters, “Not Guilty.”
More: Donald Trump pleads not guilty – Next hearing scheduled for December 4th