Trump defiant on third criminal charge as he hails ‘a very good day’
A buoyantly defiant Donald Trump appeared in a Washington, DC federal courthouse on Thursday, cracking jokes in his signature red tie with his attorney as he pleaded not guilty to conspiring to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
The former US president appeared far more animated and much less subdued than he had been during his indictment in Florida in June, later calling it “a very good day”.
When Judge Moxila Upadhyaya asked him his name, he replied, “Donald J. Trump”, then added “John!” raising his voice to confirm his age.
Speaking after his court appearance, the former US president said: “When you look at what is happening this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America.
“This is a persecution of a person that is leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden a lot. So if you can’t beat him you persecute him or you prosecute him, we can’t let this happen in America.”
He also posted on his TruthSocial Network: “Considering the fact that I had to fly to a filthy, dirty, falling apart and very unsafe Washington DC today, and that I was then arrested by my political opponent, who is losing badly to me in the polls, crooked Joe Biden, it was a very good day!”
Less than an hour after the hearing in Washington, Mr Trump sent an email to his supporters asking for cash, claiming that he could face “561 years in prison for a crime I did not commit”.
“You are why I could never give up our mission to save America – no matter how nasty and vicious the attacks ever got,” he added.
“I always knew this was the price I had to pay to run for president as a political outsider and restore power to YOU, the American people… But AMERICA is always worth it!”
Mr Trump faces five upcoming trials – three in New York comprising civil trials relating to business practices, alleged defamation of a woman who accused him of rape, and a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels after an alleged affair. The fourth trial will take place in Florida relating to the alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Mr Trump has appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to all these charges.
He is also facing an investigation in Georgia over allegations he attempted to influence the result of the 2020 presidential election in the state.
Rather than denting confidence in him, Mr Trump claims the trials will in fact be key to his campaign success and galvanise support from his voters. In a series of strategic posts on social media, he has adopted the image of a victim of a biased justice system.
On Wednesday night, he posted that it is “IMPOSSIBLE to get a fair trial in Washington, DC, which is over 95% anti-Trump”.
He wanted the trial be transferred to West Virginia where he has strong support, shown in his campaign results which ran two-to-one ahead of Joe Biden.
“The latest Fake ‘case’ brought by Crooked Joe Biden & Deranged Jack Smith will hopefully be moved to an impartial Venue, such as the politically unbiased nearby State of West Virginia!” he said in a post on Thursday ahead of his court appearance, adding, “SOON, IN 2024, IT WILL BE OUR TURN. MAGA!”
“They’re not indicting me, they’re indicting you. I just happen to be standing in their way,” Mr Trump declared at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 29.
Opinion polls show Republican support for Trump surging since the first of three indictments was issued in March. He is far and away the front-runner, leading second-place Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, by close to 30 percentage points.
In a New York Times-Siena College poll this week, Mr Trump attracted 54 per cent support to 17 per cent for Mr DeSantis, while the next three candidates received 3 per cent each.
It is in the Republican party’s interest to back the former US President. So far, most party members have been reluctant to vocally criticise the former president over the criminal charges as this would upset his stronghold of supporters, which the party depends upon.
In a thinly-veiled statement of support for Mr Trump, Mr DeSantis, his chief rival for the 2024 Republican nomination, said he would “end the weaponisation of government, replace the FBI director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans,” if elected.
“One of the reasons our country is in decline is the politicisation of the rule of law,” he continued, adding that he would “enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington DC to their home districts”, away from juries “reflective of the swamp mentality”.
