WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump used a speech to fans at his Mar-a-Lago estate hours after being arraigned in a New York courtroom to lash out at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg and other prosecutors who are investigating him.
“I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” Trump told the crowd gathered in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump is facing 34 felony counts in the New York case, becoming the first-ever former president to face criminal charges.
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Trump’s 27-minute speech amounted to a presidential campaign reboot, while also bracing voters for the chance that he could be indicted in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. cases.
The attacks on Bragg and other prosecutors came after a New York judge cautioned Trump not to use language that could incite threats and violence against public officials.
What’s next
Trump is not only the first former president to be indicted; he is also the first former president to run for office again while facing trial, which could be a lengthy process with multiple trials.
Trump’s next planned court appearance in New York is on December 4. That implies a trial could begin in January, on the eve of the Republican presidential nomination process in 2024.
Trump could be juggling other court cases by then.
The former president remains under investigation by prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., over efforts to overturn the 2020 election, holding onto classified documents after leaving office, and the insurrection by supporters on Jan 6, 2021.
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The Mar-a-Lago speech
Trump described the different investigations as attempts to derail his presidential campaign during his remarks at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump made false claims about the investigations and claimed that he is being singled out for political purposes without providing evidence.
He saved his venom for Bragg, who was in charge of the inquiry. Trump went after Bragg’s family, specifically his wife and daughter. At one point, Trump referred to Bragg as “a local failed district attorney” who had reservations about prosecuting a past president.
Trump also had harsh words for Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis and Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is heading up the documents and Jan. 6 investigations.
The speech also featured standard campaign hits on President Joe Biden and his administration, from inflation to Russia policy.
Trump backers cheer
Mar-a-Lago members and Trump supporters frequently cheered and clapped as the ex-president attacked prosecutors and political opponents.
Before Trump’s appearance, the public address system played the standard campaign rally soundtrack, from Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” to Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA.”
Guests included Trump employees like former White House spokesman Hogan Gidley, who attacked Bragg for a “flimsy” case. “What he’s seeking to do is to tarnish Donald Trump’s name and also attack his campaign.”
In a written statement, Bragg said Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.”
Republicans are supportive
Trump’s prospective opponents in 2024 have condemned the indictment.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who may announce a presidential bid in the coming weeks, called the New York case a “political charade” and “a travesty.”
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Even Republicans who have opposed Trump, such as U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, criticized the state indictment that links hush money to illegal campaign contributions under federal campaign finance laws.
“The prosecutor’s overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public’s faith in our justice system,” said Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee for president.
Throughout the day, from his start at Trump Tower in Manhattan to his speech at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Trump and allies tried to use the arraignment to raise campaign money.
One pitch offered donors t-shirts emblazoned with a Trump faux mug shot stamped with the words “NOT GUILTY.”
Polls also show that many Americans believe the case is legitimate, suggesting that Trump would have a rocky road in a general election that includes independent and non-party voters. An ABC News/Ipsos poll over the weekend said 50% of Americans think the charges against Trump “are serious.”
According to Bradley P. Moss, a national security attorney, the New York case “will without a doubt provide a short-term boost to Mr. Trump in the polls for the Republican nomination.”
However, the primaries do not commence until early next year, and Trump could face additional indictments.
“As actual primary voters begin to cast ballots, the weight of these criminal matters is likely to cause significant headwinds for the former president,” Moss said.
‘Professional defendant’?
Republicans across the nation are watching to see if this is just a blip or if Trump can ride this wave of resentment. Some believe that the prospect of a lengthy trial – or trials, if he is indicted in other cases – will gradually sap Trump and the Republican Party’s electoral strength.
Jack Pitney, a former Republican and a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, said Trump’s “hard core” Republican supporters “will keep digging in.”
Others may look to get out.
“His deepening legal woes won’t help with anybody else,” Pitney said. “’Professional Defendant’ is not a job title that appeals to the general public.”