President Joe Biden’s campaign blasted former President Donald Trump on Monday for comments he made in a recent Fox News interview in which he said there could be a “tipping point” for his supporters and said the public “wouldn’t stand for it” if he will put As a result of the conviction in the New York criminal court, he is under house arrest.
When Trump said that “it would be nice” to have a possible house arrest or even a prison sentence, Trump said: “I don’t think the public is going to support that. I think it’s going to be difficult for the public … at a certain point there’s a tipping point.”
The Biden campaign called Trump’s comments “a vow of violence.”
“Consumed by his own rage and thirst for revenge, convicted felon Donald Trump is perpetrating political violence, threatening the Constitution and turning Americans against each other,” Biden-Harris spokesman James Singer wrote in a statement.
After the 2020 election, Trump promoted a rally in DC on January 6, 2021, saying it would be “wild”. On January 6, a House Select Committee concluded that Trump’s rhetoric before and on the day of the rally contributed to the storming of the Capitol that day.
The Trump campaign did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
The Fox News interview over the weekend was Trump’s first sit-down interview since he was found guilty last week of all 34 New York felonies. During the interview, Trump sought to address whether he would retaliate against his political opponents in his possible second administration, saying he wants to unite the country but also repeatedly calling his political opponents “evil people.”
“On the one hand, it’s a really hard question because these are bad people — these people are sick and destructive things,” Trump said, before finally saying, “My revenge will be a success, and I mean it.”
But he quickly added: “But it’s terribly difficult when you see what they’ve done. These people are very evil. And at the same time, the country can come together.”
Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea of ”revenge” during the 2024 presidential campaign, at times suggesting he could go after his political opponents if he retakes the White House – raising concerns among critics that a second Trump term could cause a ripple effect. authoritarian revenge. At another time, he let go of that sentiment, saying he would “have no time for revenge” because his “ultimate retribution is success.”
Earlier this year, Trump faced backlash over his cuts, but did not rule out political violence if he loses the November election.
“I think we’re going to have a big victory, and I think there’s going to be no violence,” Trump told Time magazine In a cover story published in April. Pressing the interviewer, “What if you don’t win, sir?” Trump said: “If we don’t win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of the elections.”
During a recent interview with Fox News, Trump repeatedly criticized his guilty verdict, complaining about the prosecution, the judge, the courtroom and even the jury — saying he had a jury that was “certainly convinced” and that it “would be.” It was difficult [win] It doesn’t matter what.”
Trump has previously been reprimanded by Judge Juan Merchan for making similar comments about jurors — another possible violation of his sworn order that prohibits him from making comments to jurors.
Trump told Fox News in the moments after he learned of his guilty verdict, for a while he thought the trial would end in a hung jury.
“It seemed like it was hung in the jury for a while,” Trump said of the moment, saying it was “the most you could hope for” as he appeared to complain about how it was impossible for him to win “in the district “.
Trump also took issue with his sentencing date, which was set for July 11 — just four days before the Republican National Convention. Trump argued that the sentencing date was “part of the game,” even though Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, advocated moving the date to July, and the judge suggested an earlier sentencing date. On Sunday, Trump said on social media that the United States Supreme Court should consider the sentencing date, saying the sentencing date was unfair.
Still, Trump touted his poll numbers and fundraising success after the guilty verdict, saying he had a “record beyond all records” in fundraising. The Trump campaign said last week that it raised $53 million in the 24 hours after the verdict.
