The event was procedural until Trump took the stage at the convention center. “After all, they’re not following me. They’re following you, and I’m just standing in their way,” the former US president said, referring to the “deep state.” “The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden Administration’s Gunned Injustice Department will be one of the worst abuses of power in our country’s history,” Trump said, adding that “this prosecution brutality is a travesty of justice”, reports FOX News .
On Saturday, Trump tried to frame the upcoming presidential election as a choice not just between Democrats and Republicans, but also between the “deep state,” which he calls the parallel power structure in the United States, and democracy. “Either we have a deep state or we have a democracy. We will either have one or the other. And we are just at a tipping point,” he said. “And either they will win or we will win. It’s very simple,” added the former US president.
During his speech, Donald Trump repeatedly ridiculed the indictment. He called Special Counsel John Smith, who is investigating the Classified Documents case, “crazy” and said the Justice Department is “a sick nest of people to get rid of.” “They took one charge and made 37,” Trump said, referring to the 37 charges against him that were issued on Friday. He also used many of the standard themes of his previous speeches at rallies, talking about immigration, crime and even how the country needed him to prevent World War III.
Later that evening, speaking at a rally already held in the state of North Carolina, Trump made sure to mention the current US president, vowing to “kick corrupt Joe Biden out of the House. White”. “They’ve had witch hunt after witch hunt, and they’re just trying to stop our movement,” Trump said. “They want to do whatever they can to interfere with the will of the American people. It’s called election interference. That’s what they’re doing now. And we’ve never seen that at such a high scale,” the former president said, adding that he was bankrupt “five thousand prosecutors are watching.” Trump suggested that any Republican who becomes president would face similar investigations and endless political attacks, while saying anyone but him would crumble under such pressure.
In an interview with a Politico reporter Saturday night, already on his plane, Trump said he would continue to run for president even if convicted by a federal grand jury. This information was confirmed by his press officer. “I will never leave,” Trump said. “Look, if I had gone, I would have gone before the original race in 2016. It was difficult. It was theoretically impossible.”
According to ABC News, Donald Trump was facing federal charges under the Espionage Act for his handling of classified documents, according to the indictment released Friday. The indictment came after more than 100 classified documents were discovered at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in August 2022. Trump was charged with 37 counts, including 31 counts knowingly possessing national defense information. This accusation against a former president is unprecedented in American history. Collectively, Trump faces 400 years in prison.
Despite an avalanche of indictments, Trump’s campaign is making progress amid a surge in his polls. At a rally in North Carolina, Trump touted polling data showing he had a solid lead as the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries. And hours before the event began in Georgia, the Trump’s campaign released a poll showing him leading Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by 23% among Republicans in Iowa. As NBC News notes, this state is seen as key for DeSantis if he is to effectively counter Trump.
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