Trump Claims Charges are 'Election Interference' in Speech After Arraignment

Former President Donald Trump addressed supporters at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey after pleading not guilty during his arraignment on 37 federal charges earlier Tuesday in Miami, Florida. 

2024 Election: Trump claimed the federal charges against him were “election interference,” calling President Joe Biden “The most corrupt politician in the history of our country,” and vowing to appoint a “real” special prosecutor to investigate the Biden family if elected in 2024. Trump referenced the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing probe into an allegation that Biden accepted a $5 million bribe from an executive at a Ukrainian energy company during his time as vice-president. “They will fail, and we will win.” 

The Indictment: Trump argued he had “every right to have these documents.” His words offered a look into his potential legal defense against the charges, claiming that the Department of Justice is going after him for “legally keeping his own documents,” which “just about every other president has done.” 

Department of Justice: Trump called the Department of Justice the “Department of Injustice,” and Jack Smith, the special prosecutor leading the investigation, a “deranged lunatic” and a “thug.” Labeling the indictment “political persecution,” Trump stated, “I’m here, I love you all, and we can take it, but what these thugs have done to my family is a disgrace.”

How The Media Covered It: The Hill (Center bias) said the speech was “laced with misleading or inaccurate claims.” The New York Post (Lean Right bias) said Trump received a “hero’s welcome.”