In a sit-down Fox interview after his conviction in the recent high-profile New York trial, Trump described his adversaries as “bad people” and the trial as a “scam.”
During the interview, Trump mentioned getting even, saying “My revenge will be success.”
Fox Interview
A Fox interview filmed after Trump’s conviction aired on Sunday, which gave Trump the first opportunity to express opinion after the trial and list his grievances.
The interview was friendly, with the hosts asking questions that allowed Trump to speak frankly and give people a better insight into his state of mind.
Tough for the Public
Trump seemed to downplay his own concerns around the felony convictions in the interview, saying that if he was put under house arrest it would be “tough for the public to take.”
“You know, at a certain point, there’s a breaking point,” Trump said.
Trump Trial
A court in New York last week convicted Trump on 34 charges related to falsifying business records, which makes him now a convicted felon.
These charges accused Trump of scheming to illegally influence the 2016 election by offering a “hush money” payment to a porn actor. The verdict makes him the first former US president to be convicted of felony crimes.
Not Concerned With Jail
While the verdict was read to him, Trump sat in the courtroom with a stoic expression, even as cheering could be heard in the hallway.
Trump was similarly stoic in the Fox interview, saying he is ‘OK’ with serving potential jail time or house arrest.
Tough on His Family
While Trump put up a good front in the interview, it was evident that the court battle had been weighing on him. Trump said the trial had been tougher on his family than it had been on him.
“She’s fine, but I think it’s very hard for her. I mean, she’s fine. But it’s … you know, she has to read all this crap,” Trump said of his wife Melania.
Political Retribution
During the interview, Trump was asked if he had plans to seek retribution against political opponents should he be voted into the office of President in November.
“My revenge will be success,” said Trump. “These are bad people. These people are sick, and they do things that are so destructive… if it weren’t me, they’d be going after somebody else, and I know a lot of the competition. They wouldn’t do so well.”
Scam Trial
Trump throughout the trial has contended that it was political persecution and he was treated unfairly, a claim which he repeated in the interview.
“People get it. It’s a scam,” Trump said. “And the Republican party … they’ve stuck together in this. They see it’s a weaponization of the justice department of the FBI and that’s all coming out of Washington.”
Trial Contentions
Of the trial itself, Trump complained that his attorney’s objections were unfairly and routinely denied and that the prosecution in the case was given preferential treatment over him.
Trump insisted that the verdict was also biased because New York City is overwhelmingly Democratic where Republicans receive “virtually no votes.”
Bad People
Trump also took aim not just at the court system and verdict, but also at those he sees as his adversaries, even fellow Republicans.
“These people are sick, they’re sick, they’re deranged,” said Trump. “The enemy from within, they are doing damage in this country.”
Campaign Fundraising
Trump said that the recent conviction had been a boon for his campaign in some ways. He claimed to have raised $53 million in the wake of the public finding out the guilty verdict in his case.
Trump has struggled to raise as much as Biden for much of the election cycle thus far, with Biden still maintaining the fundraising lead. However, in recent months Biden has been raising less while Trump has been raising more.
Affecting the Election
The effect of the verdict on the election in November remains to be seen. FiveThirtyEight still puts Trump ahead nationally over Biden with 40.9% to Biden’s 39.8%.
It’s possible that the conviction could sway and energize voters for Trump, but the reverse could also happen. A recent Reuters poll found that one in 10 Republicans are less likely to vote for Trump after the guilty verdict.
