Former President Donald Trump criticized New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg on Tuesday for bringing criminal charges against him, claiming he is a victim of election interference without providing any proof. Addressing supporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump stated, "The only crime that I've committed has been to fearlessly defend our nation against those who seek to destroy it."
Trump had earlier pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a Manhattan court, with prosecutors alleging he organized payments to two women before the 2016 election to prevent the publication of their sexual encounters with him.
In a comparatively brief 25-minute speech, Trump accused Manhattan District Attorney Bragg of targeting him "before he knew anything about me" and labeled Judge Juan Merchan in the case as "a Trump-hating judge." However, he provided no evidence to support his assertion that their actions aimed to undermine his 2024 White House bid.
Trump also criticized various legal cases against him, including the handling of classified documents taken to Mar-a-Lago when he left the White House in early 2021, the investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, and the election interference case from the 2020 election in Georgia. He expressed particular concern about the documents case being investigated by special counsel Jack Smith, whom he repeatedly called a "lunatic."
He claimed the cases amounted to "massive election interference at a scale never seen," aimed at preventing his third run for the presidency.
Among the attendees at the Mar-a-Lago event were staunch Trump supporters, including Republican lawmakers Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, long-time operative Roger Stone, pillow maker Mike Lindell, former U.S. ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, and Trump's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. Trump's wife, Melania, was not present in the ballroom.
Supporters in attendance, such as Nathan Mitchell and Alex Gonzalez, expressed their belief in Trump and dismissed the charges against him as a "witch hunt."
