A defiant Donald Trump continued to attack the prosecutor, judge and a key witness in the New York hush-money criminal trial against him, a signal that the former president will continue to embrace bombast as jury selection in the case begins on Monday.
Trump described what will be the first criminal trial against a former US president as a “communist show trial”, during a rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. He also described his indictment as a “badge of honor” and cast himself as a martyr for his supporters. “I’m proud to do it for you,” he said.
“On Monday in New York City, I will be forced to sit, fully gagged,” he added.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection to a $130,000 payment he made in 2016 to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, to keep quiet about an alleged affair. The charges were filed last year by Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney.