Former President Donald Trump has declared his unwavering commitment to remain in the 2024 presidential race even if convicted on felony charges. This bold statement follows his indictment in Manhattan criminal court last week. In a recent interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump asserted that he would not withdraw from the race under any circumstances.
A poll released on Sunday revealed that 48% of Americans believe Trump should suspend his campaign, while a majority think he engaged in illegal activities. However, the former president insisted that the indictment would only strengthen his campaign and described his arrest last Tuesday as both "a sad day" and "a beautiful day."
This interview marks the first interaction between Trump and Carlson since private text messages surfaced last month showing Carlson criticizing Trump's claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential elections and expressing personal disdain for him.
If convicted, legal experts say it is unclear whether or not there would be barriers preventing him from returning to office. During their conversation, they also touched upon ongoing criminal investigations by district attorney Fani Willis in Fulton County, Georgia over accusations of pressuring officials to overturn election results. Additionally, they discussed two separate federal probes into alleged submission of phony electoral college slates by allies and mishandling classified documents.
Trump didn't hesitate to praise Russian President Vladimir Putin, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, as well as describe Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “brilliant man.” He vehemently denied any wrongdoing following these historic indictments against him.
According to a Morning Consult poll released on Tuesday this week – despite all these controversies engulfing him – an impressive 56% Republican primary voter support was observed for Trump while just about 23% supported Gov.Ron DeSantis (R-FL). During their wide-ranging discussion at Mar-a-Lago resort property owned by Mr.Trump, nuclear war risks and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021 were touched upon.
Trump plans to return to New York City on Thursday for a deposition related to a civil fraud lawsuit against him and his three adult children. When asked by Carlson if there was anything that could legally prevent him from running, Trump retorted that President Joe Biden would be the one backing out instead – though he clarified it wasn't due to age, even praising 81-year-old Sen.Bernie Sanders.
The former president also took jabs at Biden for not hosting a press conference during his trip this week to Ireland, while hinting at "a very ambitious guy" in California. On another note, Donald Trump Jr., is engaged to Kimberly Guiloyle, ex-wife of Gavin Newsom (D-CA), current Governor of California; Nikki Haley is attempting her luck within Republican primaries as well.
In connection with alleged hush-money payments concerning an affair, Trump was arraigned last Tuesday and charged with 34 felony counts. He has consistently denied any involvement in such activities and denounced district attorney's investigations as politically motivated efforts against him. Amidst these accusations, Trump managed to troll President Biden about election remarks made during an Easter event at the White House.