Trump on facing indictments during 2024 campaign: ‘I’ll never leave.’
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (FLV) – Former President Donald Trump said in an interview with POLITICO that he will remain a candidate for president in 2024 in the face of any indictments or potential convictions.
“I’ll never leave,” he said. “Look, if I would have left, I would have left prior to the original race in 2016. That was a rough one. In theory that was not doable.”
Trump’s comments came as he faces a looming 38 federal charges in relation to violation of the Espionage Act, among other laws, in relation to alleged mishandling of classified documents via his Florida estate.
Even though he said he would not leave if he were convicted, Trump said he also doesn’t believe the charges will result in a conviction.
On potentially pardoning himself if he becomes president in 2025, he said, “I don’t think I’ll ever have to. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Nobody wants to be indicted,” he continued. “I don’t care that my poll numbers went up by a lot. I don’t want to be indicted. I’ve never been indicted. I went through my whole life, now I get indicted every two months. It’s been political.”
Special Counsel Jack Smith convened a second grand jury in Miami, which is separate from a D.C.-based panel, to indict the former president on seven charges.
The indictment, released to the public Friday, details that in the U.S. Southern District Court of Florida, Trump will face 38 counts related to handling classified documents.
The charges are related to making false statements, conspiracy to obstruct, along with a charge related to the Espionage Act.
Trump’s indictment drew near universal condemnation from a variety of Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators, ranging from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society. We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation,” DeSantis said. “Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter? The DeSantis administration will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all.”
The former president sounded the alarm of the indictment on TRUTH Social, slamming the “corrupt Biden administration” for the impending prosecution over classified documents, the subject of an FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago last year.
Trump said he will appear at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, June 13 at 3 p.m.
“I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country, and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election,” Trump said. “I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!”
The former president then released a video, reiterating his innocence and slamming the latest investigation, spearheaded by an administration controlled by his opposing political party, as “the greatest witch hunt of all time.”
“I AM AN INNOCENT MAN. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS TOTALLY CORRUPT,” he said. “THIS IS ELECTION INTERFERENCE & A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Trump’s legal troubles have continued to mount in recent months. In April, Trump was indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat.
That prosecution also drew disapproval from DeSantis, the former president’s rival.
