Donald Trump struck a defiant tone in a call with his supporters on Tuesday evening after his arrest and arraignment in New York City, at which he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges concerning the falsification of business records to conceal hush money payments during his 2016 presidential run.
Having flown back to his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, the first president in American history to be charged with a crime delivered remarks to faith leaders and other prominent cheerleaders on a pre-arranged call in which he insisted he had a “great day” despite having fallen victim to a “fake investigation”.
“As you know we’re going through a fake investigation. That’s what it is. By radical left people that I believe actually have to hate our country. And we’re winning – we had a great day today, actually, because it turned out to be a sham,” he told his audience.
“It’s turning out to be that. And we have others down the line. But we’ve been winning them for eight years now, ever since we came down the golden escalator, as they call it, at Trump Tower.”
Mr Trump reportedly concluded his comments by attempting to shore up support, reminding his listeners of his track record in appointing Republican-friendly Supreme Court justices and in support of Christian causes during his time in the White House.
The twice-impeached former president went on to elaborate on his grievances against New York County district attorney Alvin Bragg in a prime-time TV address, calling Mr Bragg a “failed district attorney” and a “criminal”, complaining that, in his opinion: “He illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information for which he should be prosecuted, or at a minimum he should resign.”
He also attacked Mr Bragg’s wife for tweeting about the case and the New York Supreme Court justice presiding over Tuesday’s arraignment, Judge Juan Merchan, by saying: “I have a Trump hating-judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter works for [US vice president] Kamala Harris.”
All of which came despite Judge Merchan warning Mr Trump in court to stop making threats on his Truth Social platform that could inflame tensions or incite violence, a response to a string of inflammatory posts in the run-up to Tuesday’s hearing, including his denouncing the venue as a “Kangaroo Court” and insisting his case should have been heard in Staten Island rather than Manhattan, a borough in which Trump Tower is situated but which he claims is prejudiced against him.
“Our country is going to hell,” the Republican insisted, bemoaning the alleged weaponisation of the US justice system against him.
“We are a nation in decline. And now these radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections by using law enforcement.”
Despite his bullish public tone, CNN later reported that, behind the scenes, Mr Trump was actually “upset” after “an emotional day”, citing a source close to him.
Mr Trump reportedly ate dinner on the patio of the Mar-a-Lago club after concluding his address surrounded by family members and some of his closest political allies, including Florida congressman Matt Gaetz and his Georgia counterpart Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had earlier in the day been drowned out by boos, whistles and jeers at a pro-Trump protest outside the Manhattan Criminal Court.
Mr Trump was later seen DJ-ing from a laptop and chatting with veteran Republican political operative and mud-slinger Roger Stone, according to the network.
Explaining the former president’s decision to return swiftly to the company of his fawning courtiers in Palm Beach, the source said: “Who wouldn’t want to be with people that adore him after that?”
