Donald Trump has warned of “potential death & destruction” if he's charged next week in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case.
In an unhinged rant today the former president took to his Truth Social media platform to write his most incendiary message yet.
“What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States,” he said, "who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our country?”
The post was the clearest signal yet of an allusion to violence that could follow an indictment stemming from an investigation led by Alvin Bragg.
Trump has labelled the Manhattan District Attorney a “degenerate psychopath.”
In an earlier post, the businessman criticised those who have called for his supporters to remain peaceful.
“EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M 100% INNOCENT, INCLUDING BRAGG,” Trump said on Truth Social, on Thursday referring to the District Attorney.
“BUT HE DOESN’T CARE. HE IS JUST CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!”
Last weekend, Trump urged his followers to “PROTEST, take back pout nation” over his potential arrest in the case, which he wrongly predicted would happen on March 21.
Trump’s actions are being increasingly likened to his behaviour before the deadly January 6 riots two years ago where he encouraged his MAGA supporters to rise up and march on the Capitol building to prevent his election loss to Joe Biden from being ratified.
Earlier this week, a New York judge was forced to take the highly unusual move to protect the anonymity of a jury set to hear a civil rape case against Trump which is set to start next month.
The former president has denied the allegation of E Jean Carroll, a writer who claims he raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.
Judge Lewis Kaplan highlighted how jurors could face threats from Trump supporters who have been encouraged by the former president.
Thousands of uniformed police have been placed on standby in New York in case the businessman is indicted on fraud-related charges.
They centre upon a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 US election to avoid her speaking publicly about her alleged affair with Trump.
The grand jury in the case against Trump is due to reconvene on Monday in New York City as police maintain an increased presence amid concerns of unrest should the court decide to go forward with an arrest.
Meanwhile, the former president is at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
