OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump is not one to mince words, especially when he believes he’s being treated unfairly and unjustly, so it is no surprise that he came at New York Attorney General Letitia James this week as her civil fraud trial against him began.
But after Trump left the courthouse in Manhattan on Wednesday, she had some choice words for his criticisms in a statement to reporters.
In remarks to reporters, she claimed that Trump “fomented violence” with remarks that amounted to “race-baiting” while complaining that his statements appeal to the “bottom of our humanity.” She then accused him and his companies of engaging in a “pattern and practice of fraud.”
“I will not be bullied,” she said at one point. “Mr. Trump is no longer here. The Donald Trump show is over.”
She went on to dismiss his remarks as a “political stunt” organized by the former president.
WATCH:
At another point during his remarks, Trump discussed whether he would testify in his own civil trial in a case filed against him and his sons and companies by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump said that he will take the stand during the $250 million civil trial “at the appropriate time,” Newsmax reported.
That said, the multiple indictments against the former president have led to an increase in overall support as well as fundraising.
Trump’s 2024 campaign managed to bring in millions more dollars in donations than he collected during the second quarter, according to his latest federal filing.
Trump’s campaign announced it raised $45.5 million in the third quarter, surpassing the second quarter haul.
The campaign reported that it has more than $37.5 million in cash on hand, a release on Wednesday evening stated. In addition, Trump’s campaign said that GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is in second place behind Trump in most polls, only had $5 million in cash on hand for the ongoing primaries, The New York Times reported.
“DeSantis’s campaign raised $15 million in the third quarter. Robert Bigelow, who donated $20 million to a DeSantis-allied PAC, said in August he would stop donating if DeSantis didn’t moderate his policy positions,” The Daily Caller added.
In the release, the Trump campaign said: “In an impressive testament to the overwhelming grassroots support behind President Trump that will lead to dominating victories, close to $36 million of the total cash on hand is designated for the primary.”
“While DeSanctus’ fundraising, like his poll numbers, has seen an exponential drop even from July, President Trump outraised his impressive $35 million haul in Q2 (which doubled Q1 fundraising) by more than $10 million,” the Trump campaign said.
“The Q3 numbers are even more impressive considering the Summer months are usually when most campaigns experience lagging fundraising support,” the Trump campaign added. “President Trump and his campaign have completely shattered that notion.”
Trump also addressed how he thought his trial was going thus far in Manhattan.
“I think it’s going very well,” he said Wednesday after being asked.
“There was absolutely no fraud,” Trump said, going on to criticize James as being corrupt. “They all made money. They’re all happy, 100% happy.”
Trump also reiterated his previous statement regarding the fact that his accountants always added a disclaimer of “buyer beware” at the end of his financial statements.
“It says, ‘Please, you must understand that you have to do your own due diligence and you have to, above all, do your own research and analysis: Do not rely on anything; do not rely on the financial statements,’” Trump added. “Also, the financial statements are very strong in terms of cash liquidity and everything else.
“This case is a scam. There can’t be fraud when you’ve told institutions to do their own work. This case is a fraud and scam.”
