Former US President Donald Trump addressed some of his supporters in Florida for the first time since his indictment in New York. On Tuesday, he became the first former or serving president in the country’s history to face criminal charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty on all 34 accounts.
Trump dismissed the legal proceedings against him as a “fake case” which is politically motivated. He questioned the integrity of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is leading the prosecution against the former president.
Trump spoke at length about several issues beyond the scope of the ongoing legal case, and made it clear that he thought that the US is going in the wrong direction under the Biden administration. With the 2024 presidential election looming, one of the most pertinent questions being asked is whether the legal case will help or hinder the former president’s bid for re-election.
Trump comments on indictment
Speaking just hours after his arrest and arraignment in New York, Trump denounced the legal case against him as “a persecution, not an investigation,” in front of about 500 supporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
“This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately,” the former president said.
“Every single pundit and legal analyst said there is no case. Virtually everyone,” Trump continued.
The former president also dismissed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s prosecution as being politically motivated, alleging that the prosecutor is a member of the “radical left” backed by Hungarian-American businessman George Soros.
Continuing to refer to Bragg, Trump said that the “criminal is the district attorney” because he “illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information”.
“This is where we are right now. I have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris.”
Political comments
In many ways, the former president’s address sounded a lot like a campaign speech. Beyond the immediate issue of his indictment, Trump delivered his thoughts on the current political situation in the US.
Referring to a wide array of issues, including the country’s open borders, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, energy independence, crime, and nuclear escalation, Trump said that it was “the most embarrassing time in our country’s history, in my opinion.”
Trump concluded with a nod to his campaign slogan, by saying “With all of this being said and with a very dark cloud over our beloved country, I have no doubt that we will make America great again.”
What is Trump being charged for?
Over the course of an almost hour long hearing on Tuesday, Trump was accused of falsifying business records to conceal crimes and charged with 34 criminal felonies.
All the charges against the former president are Class E felonies, the lowest category of felony offence in New York. Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of four years.
The typical charge for falsifying business records is a misdemeanour, but the Manhattan district attorney’s office is taking things up a notch by asserting that the offence was carried out with the intention of hiding or committing a separate crime.
The former president has pleaded not guilty on all charges.
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