5 months ago
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Donald Trump lashed out at his political enemies during a campaign rally at the Jersey Shore on Saturday, blasting President Joe Biden as a “total moron” and coining a derogatory new nickname for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg – “Fat Alvin.”
After spending much of the past month in a Manhattan courtroom for his hush money criminal trial, the former president wasted no time in once again railing against the unfairness of the case, which he claimed is a “Biden show trial”. There is no evidence to suggest that Mr Biden has been involved in the case.
Mr Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, appeared before an estimated 80,000-100,000 supporters on Saturday evening in Wildwood, New Jersey.
Hordes of MAGA fans had gathered on the beach and the boardwalk throughout the day wearing Trump masks and American flag-themed outfits. Some more avid supporters slept in tents on the beach for several days to secure front-row spots for the event.
Though his speech was littered with his usual criticisms, and turned foul-mouthed in places, Mr Trump also veered into wild tangents, referring to fictional character, the cannibal Hannibal Lecter, as “a wonderful man” and claiming that his rallies drew bigger crowds than Bruce Springsteen concerts.
After kicking off by promising to “expand the political map” and win the long-time, Democrat-held state of New Jersey, the former president turned his attention to President Biden.
“You could take the 10 worst presidents in the history of our country, and add them up... and they haven’t done the damage to our country that this total moron has done,” Mr Trump said. “He’s a fool, he’s not a smart man. He never was.”
His comments come after Mr Biden had joked on Friday that he wished Mr Trump had injected himself with a little bleach - refering to the former president’s claims that disinfectant could be an effective treatment for Covid-19 in the early days of the pandemic.
Barring any serious mishap, the two men are expected to be officially nominated by their respective parties this summer, before facing off in the November general election.
On Saturday, Mr Trump’s rhetoric turned even nastier when he attacked Manhattan Distric Attorny Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor overseeing his hush money trial, and the judge Juan Merchan.
“I am being forced to endure a Biden show trial, all done by Biden” Mr Trump said. “Carried out by [the] radical Democrat District Attorney… you know who he is? Fat Alvin, corrupt guy.”
He also described his multiple indictments as “b*******,” and at one point claimed: “I got indicted four times in a period of three seconds.”
Mr Trump called Judge Merchan, who has threatened to throw him in jail over numerous violations of a gag order, “highly conflicted”.
Merchan imposed an order which bars Mr Trump from hurling insults at witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff and the judge’s family. However, it does not forbid him from insulting Judge Merchan or Mr Bragg. Mr Trump has already been fined for 10 separate violations of the gag order, totalling $10,000.
The former president faces 34 charges of falsifying business records in relation to alleged hush money payments of $130,000 which were made to porn star Stormy Daniels in order to conceal an alleged affair in 2006. He has denied the allegations.
Mr Trump is due to return to the New York court on Monday, when his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, is expected to take the stand.
