6 outrageous moments in Trump's speech slamming guilty verdict: From Biden 'stealing cars' to machete in McDonald's
6 outrageous moments in Donald Trump's 33-minute speech slamming hush money trial verdict
In his fiery outburst, Donald Trump showed no mercy on Friday, March 31, when he spoke to the public a day after he was convicted of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush-money criminal trial. The former president talked for 33 minutes during his appearance at Trump Tower, which is almost as long as the 34 offenses he was found guilty of. It was a characteristically meandering address that included both absurd and baseless allegations. His bizarre tirade included references to machetes at McDonald's, witnesses being 'literally' crucified, and President Joe Biden forbidding people from driving cars. Let us look at the 6 outrageous claims made by Trump in his speech slamming the verdict.
1. Machete Man in McDonald's reference
Even though Trump is a well-known admirer of the largest fast-food restaurant in America, McDonald's, the chain was mentioned in one of his enraged digressions. Using the occasion to criticize Biden's criminal record, he brought up a recent incident of a man brandishing a machete inside a McDonald's. He used the Thursday, May 30, stabbing incident in Times Square as leverage against Biden's leadership of the nation. Nonetheless, the city's statistics indicate a sharp decline in crime throughout the 1990s. Major crime reports have decreased this year compared to the same period last year, according to the most recent NYPD statistics.
2. Labels Joe Biden as 'most dishonest' president
Joe Biden was labeled by Trump as 'the worst' and 'most incompetent' president in history, in addition to being the 'most dishonest' one. Despite the allegations, a 2021 fact-checking by the Washington Post revealed that Trump had made over 30,000 inaccurate or deceptive statements over his four years in power.
3. Donald Trump slams his 'nasty' gag order
Those involved in the trial were not spared from Trump's fury on Friday, when he attacked the prosecution and the "highly conflicted" judge, calling the latter a "tyrant." He stated absurd things during his outburst, such as that witnesses were "literally crucified by [an election expert]." Trump has gone to great lengths to test the 'nasty' gag order, which prevents him from publicly criticizing witnesses. He said, "I've had to pay thousands of dollars in penalties and fines and was threatened with jail. I'm the leading candidate ...and I'm under a gag order by a man that can't put two sentences together."
4. Takes a jab at Joe Biden's policies
Making baseless accusations about the Democratic government, Trump took advantage of the limelight to criticize Biden's policies and maybe set the stage for his presidential candidacy. He stated, "They want to raise your taxes, they want to take your cars... it's a real problem."
5. Boasts about fundraising post-verdict
Among his numerous claims was that, since the announcement of the guilty judgment in his criminal hush money trial, he had raised $39 million, breaking a record in political history. Trump said that modest contributors contributed over ten hours to accumulate the startling sum. His campaign published a different amount earlier on Friday morning which was $34.8 million.
6. 'Trump or Death'
Supporters gathered across the street from Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan waved a massive red 'TRUMP OR DEATH' sign in front of the upscale store. A few demonstrators carried banners that said, 'Guilty' and 'Justice matters'. In response to Thursday's verdict, Trump supporters also started flying and posting pictures of upside-down stars and striped flags. One of Trump's most ardent supporters and one of the most controversial individuals in the party, Marjorie Taylor Greene, was among those who shared the picture on social media.
