In a bold speech at his Mar-a-Lago estate, former President Donald Trump condemned the judge and prosecutor involved in his criminal case, disregarding a prior warning about using language that could provoke violence. Trump spoke to his supporters in Palm Beach, Florida, after entering a not guilty plea in Manhattan court for 34 criminal charges related to alleged hush-money payments.
Unyielding in the face of his arrest and court appearance, Trump criticized New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a "failed" prosecutor and painted the United States as a country "in decline." The former president stated, "The criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information." Trump demanded that Bragg be prosecuted or resign at the very least.
He also took aim at Bragg's wife, who had tweeted that Trump had been "nailed." According to Trump, she subsequently locked her Twitter account. Trump characterized the entire investigation as politically motivated.
Additionally, Trump targeted New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who oversaw his arraignment, and highlighted the fact that Merchan's daughter worked for Vice President Kamala Harris. "I have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter work[ed] for Kamala Harris," he said. Despite Merchan's caution against making threatening statements on social media that could escalate tensions or incite violence, Trump chose to disregard the warning.
Judge Merchan and Trump have a history, as Merchan previously presided over the criminal tax fraud case involving two Trump Organization subsidiaries and the criminal fraud case against the company's CFO. However, Merchan did not issue a gag order against Trump. Prosecutors are reportedly pushing for a January 2024 court date, which Trump's lawyers argue is too soon.
Trump also criticized the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney's investigation into the 2020 presidential election results in the state. He defended his call to Georgia's Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which he requested help to sway the state in his favor. "This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately," Trump insisted.
He also faces a Department of Justice investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, examining his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including the January 6th Capitol riot. Trump disparaged the FBI's execution of a search warrant to obtain classified documents from his home last year, claiming they were negotiating "in very good faith" to return the documents.
Despite ongoing legal challenges, Trump appears undeterred from seeking the presidency for a third time. Polls show him leading Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by a significant margin for the Republican presidential nomination.
