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Salon
Salon
Politics
Nandika Chatterjee

Trump dismisses Melania concerns on Fox

In a pre-taped interview which aired Sunday on Fox News' "Fox & Friends," Donald Trump seemed to shrug off the possibility that his July 11 sentencing could land him in prison. 

Painting himself as a hero who is fighting for the Constitution, freedom and his country, he railed against the Biden administration — as well as the justice system, or anyone else he views as an enemy — and he didn't pull any punches, per usual. 

“These people are sick,” he told the hosts. “They’re deranged.” Going on to claim that while the enemies from the outside are Russia and China — adversaries who he adds are “quite easily handled” if the president is “smart” — the enemy from within is far worse.

“They [seemingly the Biden administration] are doing damage to this country,” he said with a disapproving shake of the head. “They want to open borders, they want high interest rates, they now want to quadruple your taxes.” 

In terms of the hush money trial that found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, Trump called the Manhattan courthouse a “tough venue,” as if he were a singer who had simply lost the interest of his adoring fans, and not the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes. 

He blamed the inescapable “venue," New York — where “Republicans, not just [him], get virtually no votes” — and Judge Juan Merchan — who he continuously calls corrupt — for the verdict. One of the hosts pointed out that the former president had earlier said that the “venue” was one where even Mother Teresa couldn't be acquitted. 

Always managing to slip in a brag or two, Trump beamingly announced that, despite everything, “the poll numbers have gone up substantially” after the verdict, which is something he claims he can’t explain. 

When asked about the effect of his work on his family, Trump quickly brushed off questions pertaining to his wife, Melania Trump, who was nowhere to be seen during the six-week-long court proceedings. 

“I have a wonderful wife who has to listen to this stuff all the time,” he said. “She’s fine. I think it’s very tough on her, but she’s fine.”

The former president had a lot more to say about his 18-year-old son, Barron Trump, who was only a few months old when Trump allegedly cheated on his wife with Stormy Daniels.  

“He’s amazing, actually, in a certain way. He’s a tall, good looking guy. He’s a very good student. And he’s applied to colleges and gets into everywhere,” Trump gushed. “You know, he’s very sought after. He’s a very smart guy. Very tall guy. And he’s a great kid. He’s cool.”

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