An agitated Donald Trump raged at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday against the hush-money case against him, just days before he becomes the first former president in US history to stand trial on criminal charges.
“In two days, the entire world will witness the start of the first-ever Biden trial,” Trump told a rancorous crowd of supporters.
‘I am proud that I can do this for you. Have fun watching, have fun watching,” Trump said.
The 77-year-old former president was in Schnecksville, PA, outside Allentown, where he rambled for about an hour on a wide range of topics, from the border to emphasizing “I’m popular!”
It was his last meeting before the start of the hush money trial in New York. Jury selection begins on Monday.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying company records. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
Former President Donald Trump has dismissed the criminal case against him in New York just days before the trial is due to start. The ex-president told the crowd that it is a “badge of honor” to be indicted
“On Monday in New York City I will be forced to sit in a completely gagged position, not allowed to speak,” Trump claimed a day after saying he would testify.
The ex-president blasted the judge for claiming he suffered from “Trump derangement syndrome” and argued that the case is a “blatant manipulation of the law.”
“This is by far the weakest criminal case I have ever seen in my 60 years,” Trump said. ‘There’s nothing here at all. There is no crime involved. There is no crime, there is no federal crime.”
Trump slammed the case as he was running for president.
It is the first of four criminal cases against Trump that could start if he runs for president for the third time.
Prosecutors say the ex-president falsified records to cover up the $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier.
Supporters who waited in line for hours on Saturday to attend the ex-president’s rally echoed some of Trump’s own statements on the matter.
Several people waiting in line told DailyMail.com that the criminal case was a “witch hunt” orchestrated by “corrupt” Democrats, dismissing concerns about Trump’s conviction as he ran for president.
“I am absolutely disgusted with our criminal justice system,” said Courtney Bracken, 46, who was at the rally with her son and also said she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“I honestly think the Democrats are making a mockery of our criminal justice system. “I think in the end, after all the appeals, President Trump will be found not guilty,” she said.
The line of supporters waited outside Trump’s rally in Schnecksville on April 13. Hundreds of supporters waited in line for hours for the ex-president’s remarks at the Schnecksville Fire Hall
Trump supporters ahead of his campaign rally in Schnecksville, PA on April 13
Trump himself said on Friday that he would testify in the hush money case.
‘It’s a scam. It’s a scam. That’s not a process. That is not a process,” Trump also said on Friday.
A new The New York Times/Siena A poll on Saturday found that a majority of registered voters believe the accusations Trump has falsified related to the hush money payments are very serious or somewhat serious. Only 22 percent said they were not serious at all.
The charges were divided along partisan lines. 43 percent of Republicans said the allegations related to hush money payments were not serious at all.
46 percent of registered voters said they believe Trump should be found guilty in the case. 36 percent said he shouldn’t. 71 percent of Republicans said this should not happen.
Trump told supporters at his rally to “have fun watching” as he calls off the hush-money case against him that starts with jury selection in New York on Monday
While only the hush money case has a set trial start date so far, the criminal cases against Trump could keep him off the campaign trail for a significant amount of time in the run-up to the election.
Trump’s campaign said it will take full advantage of days off on Wednesdays and over the weekend, and the ex-president will also continue to get his message across with in-person and virtual events.
They argue that the court appearances and charges have backfired for Democrats and Biden, and expect this case to be no different.
“Joe Biden and the Democrats’ entire strategy to defeat President Trump is to keep him away from campaigns by locking him in a courtroom,” National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
“President Trump will continue to fight for the truth in court and share his winning message during his campaign,” she said.
Trump is expected to hold in-person and virtual campaign events around the trial schedule. His campaign claims the court appearances and indictments are backfiring on Democrats
Pennsylvania is one of the biggest battlegrounds of 2024. Biden won the state by more than 80,000 votes in 2020, after Trump won the state by fewer than 45,000 votes in 2016.
Ahead of Trump’s visit to the state, supporters lined the roads around Schnecksville, waving Trump flags and holding signs.
DailyMail.com observed one person holding a Biden sign on the side of the road near the rally, and another person waiting just ahead to greet the motorcade with a “Trump in Jail 2024” sign.
Ahead of the ex-president’s visit, the state’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, issued a statement on behalf of the Biden campaign about Trump’s visit to the state, criticizing him over the issue of abortion and reversal of Roe v Wade.
“Pennsylvanians want a president who will fight for us and protect our freedom – not the chaos and extremism that Donald Trump wants to bring to our communities,” he said.