Trump turns his day in court into a campaign event despite serious political and legal threats
CTV
Donald Trump's four years in the White House, even on some of the most consequential days of his presidency, were punctuated by the spectacle and attempts at showmanship he cultivated from years as a tabloid fixture and reality star.
Donald Trump's four years in the White House, even on some of the most consequential days of his presidency, were punctuated by the spectacle and attempts at showmanship he cultivated from years as a tabloid fixture and reality star.
The former U.S. president's history-making appearance Tuesday as a criminal defendant in a Florida federal court was no different.
The former commander in chief, accused of being careless with some of the country's most sensitive secrets and obstructing authorities as they tried to recover critical documents, pleaded not guilty to 37 charges. But he treated the day like a campaign event, even as he faces serious threats to his political ambitions and his freedom.
Takeaways from Trump's day in federal court:
Despite the seriousness of the charges, Trump, ever the showman, sought to maximize any political benefits from the day. The Republican had encouraged supporters to show up at the federal courthouse -- and hundreds did -- while the 2024 presidential candidate fired off a few posts on his social media app, calling it a "WITCH HUNT" and "ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF COUR COUNTRY."
After leaving the courthouse, his motorcade ferried him to an iconic Cuban restaurant in Miami, where he bowed his head with two pastors and a rabbi for a moment of prayer, shook hands with supporters and and even managed to crack some smiles and jokes as he posed for photos, including one with UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal.
He initially kept a fairly grim expression as people in the restaurant began serenading him with "Happy Birthday," a day before his 77th birthday.
A federal gun case against U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter opened Monday with jury selection, following the collapse of a plea deal that would have avoided the spectacle of a trial so close the 2024 election. First lady Jill Biden was seated in the front row of the courtroom, in a show of support for her son.
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told a gathering of top security officials Saturday that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, despite rapidly escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between him and his Chinese counterpart in avoiding "miscalculations and misunderstandings."