Donald Trump has lashed out at President Joe Biden in a Truth Social video accusing the president of being a “criminal” after he failed to delay an imminent criminal trial in Manhattan. his string of criminal trials.
Mr Trump lost three last-ditch bids in three days to delay his New York hush money trial, with jury selection set to begin on Monday.
The former president faces 88 felony counts across four state and federal prosecutions as he campaigns for a return to the White House. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.
Mr Trump continues to baselessly assert that he is the victim of a Democratic-led conspiracy against him, despite the fact that his criminal prosecutions were recommended by grand juries of members of the public. His federal cases are overseen by an independent special counsel under the US Department of Justice.
That hasn’t stopped Mr Trump from accusing his rival of “lawfare” against him.
“At what point are the actions of a sitting President, using lawfare and weaponization against his opponent for purposes of election interference, considered illegal? I believe, as do various highly respected legal scholars, that crooked Joe Biden has long since crossed over that very sacred threshold,” Mr Trump said in the video.
He went on to call Mr Biden a “criminal” and a “horrible president.”
“He’s the worst president in the history of our country,” he added, before baselessly claiming “the only way he thinks he can get elected is to take me to trial, take me to courts – city, state and federal – they control them all.”
“He can’t put two sentences together, he can’t do anything. So they weaponise government and they take me to court on bulls**t,” Mr Trump continued.
The video came amid three unsuccessful attempts by Mr Trump to delay his hush money trial this week, which is due to begin on 15 April.
Mr Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to cover up payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and others to stop them from going public days before the 2016 presidential election about alleged affairs.
Each charge could carry a potential prison sentence of up to four years if he is found guilty.
Mr Trump’s attorneys had argued that the criminal case had caused the former president “ongoing, unconstitutional and irreparable harms,” but failed to convince the judge.
The judge also refused to hear Mr Trump’s argument that “presidential immunity” shields his “official acts” from prosecution.
Mr Trump is also fighting a gag order in the same case that bars him from publicly attacking court staff and their families.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump, who is the first US president to go on trial, is also involved in two criminal cases accusing him of conspiring to overturn the result of the 2020 election and another case related to retaining classified documents.
He also lost a trial stemming from a blockbuster lawsuit accusing him of lying about his wealth and assets for years as he built the real estate empire that vaulted him to stardom and the White House.
A judge ordered him to pay a $454 million penalty in connection with the case. However, the decision was halted after Mr Trump posted a $175 million bond, preventing the state from seizing his assets to satisfy the debt while he appeals the judge’s decision.
