Julia Nikhinson/AP
Speaking from his beloved Trump Tower in Manhattan—where nearly nine years ago he descended an escalator and launched his presidential campaign—Donald Trump on Friday rambled through a litany of complaints.
Having just been found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush-money trial, Trump blasted the criminal case as “unfair,” “rigged,” and politically motivated. The convicted felon also railed against judge Juan Merchan, whom Trump claimed was actually the “devil,” despite appearing “soft” and like an “angel” to some. Trump also called President Biden “dumb.” The speech was typical of a Trumpian rant: falsehoods, grievances, and meandering anecdotes flew for nearly 40 minutes.
“We’re living in a fascist state,” he said at one point.
The press conference came as Trump’s presidential campaign seeks to aggressively capitalize on his conviction. Those efforts went into overdrive immediately after Thursday’s guilty verdict, with Trump’s fundraising page—which declared that the former president, who remains free pending sentencing and appeals, was now a “political prisoner”—apparently crashing due to a surge in visitors.
By Friday morning, the campaign announced that it had raised a staggering $34.8 million in small donations in response to the verdict, though that figure can’t be immediately verified.
