Former President Donald Trump has officially confirmed that he will join the race for the White House again. Polls conducted by US media also show the 76-year-old former president leading the way for the Republican presidential nomination with 43%, compared with 31% for the governor behind him. Florida Ron DeSantis – who has not yet announced his candidacy.
In that context, on March 18, Trump suddenly announced that he was about to be arrested and called on his supporters to protest to stop the “witch hunt” campaign with “clearly political” purposes of the party. Democracy.
Calls for protests were written by Mr. Trump on the Truth Social social network: “The time has come!!! We can’t allow this anymore. They are destroying our country. We must save America. Objection, protest, protest!!!”
AP Trump’s message appears to be aimed at preventing a formal indictment from prosecutors in Manhattan’s New York City district.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at an event on March 4, 2023. Photo: AP
Earlier, Mr. Trump said that “illegal leaks” from the Manhattan district attorney’s office indicated he would be arrested on March 21, but he did not say on what charges.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office earlier this year began presenting evidence to a grand jury investigating a $130,000 bribe that Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former personal attorney, paid the porn actress. Stormy Daniels to silence this table in the final days of the 2016 election campaign.
Adult film actress Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) said that she and Mr. Trump had an affair a decade earlier. In response, Mr. Trump completely denied. After that, he won the election and became the US president for the period 2017-2021.
According to Trump’s attorney, Susan Necheles, Bragg’s office earlier this month invited Trump to testify before a grand jury investigating the hush payments. Legal experts say it is a sign that an indictment is near. Trump’s legal team has already prepared a scenario for the next steps.
Former President Donald J. Trump poses with supporters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Photo: AP
In addition to the above allegation, former President Donald Trump is facing a series of other legal charges, including an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results that culminated in his supporters storming the US Capitol on Tuesday. January 6, 2021; store confidential government documents after leaving office; Trump Organization tax fraud.
Mr Trump has called the charges against him a “political conspiracy” and likened it to a “witch hunt” campaign by Democrats.
It is not clear if supporters have heeded Trump’s call to protest this time and whether his calls still have the “weight” as when he was in office.
However, after Trump’s post, US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy criticized any plans to prosecute the former US president. Mr McCarthy, a Republican, said that would be “excessive abuse of power” and “political revenge”.