Donald Trump insisted he had "every right" to "interfere" with the 2020 presidential election, appearing to admit to the crime during an interview on Fox News.
The Republican presidential nominee made the eyebrow-raising comments in an interview with Mark Levin on the Fox News' host's "Life, Liberty and Levin" program Sunday night as they discussed special counsel Jack Smith's superseding indictment from last week.
Trump remarked that it was "crazy" that his poll numbers got a bump out of it. It wasn't immediately clear which poll numbers he was referring to.
"Whoever heard — you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it — you get indicted and your poll numbers go up," Trump told Levin. "It's such nonsense."
Trump: Who ever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it. pic.twitter.com/EneMFJg7kD
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 2, 2024
Smith's prosecutors filed a superseding indictment involving the last election against the 78-year-old Trump last Tuesday, paring down the allegations to comply with the Supreme Court's ruling giving former president broad immunity for official actions taken in the White House.
Trump was indicted for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol where a mob of the former president's supporters attempted to obstruct the counting of the vote in the 2020 election.
He has denied the charges, arguing that he is the being politically targeted by the Democrats.
Katie Phang, a legal analyst for MSNBC, said the Trump interview plays as a confession.
"Criming and then confessing to the criming," she posted on X. "That's a Trump specialty."
Trump also blasted Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her "nasty" for the way she treated Mike Pence during their debate before the 2020 election.
"They say [Kamala] has many deficiencies, but she's a nasty person, the way she treated Mike Pence is horrible, the way she treats people is horrible," Trump told Levin.
During the debate, Harris made headlines when she told Pence "I'm speaking" as he interrupted her.
Pence has not endorsed Trump's presidential run this year as the two remain distant after the former president's followers threatened to hang Pence during the Capitol riot.
Trump supporters called to "hang" Mike Pence during the storming of the Capito January 6 l for rebuffing Trump's demand that he refuse to certify the electoral votes that day.
At least one witness told House investigators probing the insurrection that Trump appeared to react approvingly to the murderous call.
"Mike Pence didn't have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution," Trump tweeted during the riot, sparking a fresh wave of anger among the crowd that had breached the Capitol.
