Trump rattled at his Michigan rally and began complaining about being fined $355 million in the New York fraud case.
What did Trump say at his rally in Michigan?
Trump said:
We didn’t do anything wrong. We didn’t do anything wrong. The latter case is that we have done nothing wrong. How about 12 weeks ago, a woman, I’m saying, who the hell is she? Who is the woman? It’s so unfair. What is happening in our country? Our justice system is a mess. What is happening in our country? They have to fix this. All you see is bitterness, revenge and hatred. Judge Engoron just fined me $355 million for doing everything right. 355.
And these repulsive abuses of power are not just an attack on me. They are truly an attack on you and all Americans. It’s disgusting, it’s disgusting. I’m dealing with the bank. The bank is happy. There are no victims. There’s nothing. 355 million. I paid off a mortgage for a small fraction of that amount.
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I borrowed some money and they wanted me to borrow it. I didn’t even need the money they wanted because that’s what they do. They lend money and they like to lend it to good people. So they loan me money and make me pay a fine in New York State. No one will return to New York State. A lot of people leave a lot of businesses, but they fined me $355 million.
It’s the law, nothing like this has ever happened. This judge is a madman and if you’ve ever watched him, the attorney general could be worse, he could be worse. Do you ever watch it? I will make sure Donald Trump can run his campaign. I’ll take Donald Trump. I promise I’ll get it. He doesn’t know anything about me. Nothing about me.
Video:
Trump said of his fine for fraud: “So they loan me money and make me pay a fine in New York State. Nobody’s coming back to New York State. A lot of people are leaving a lot of businesses, but they fined me 355 million of dollars.” pic.twitter.com/c2RDC22kYF
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) February 18, 2024
Trump makes it seem like he was innocently minding his own business, and the banks threw a lot of money at him, and now New York is fining him $355 million.
The fraud that occurred involved Trump inflating the value of his assets to obtain loans. He would inflate the value of his assets to obtain loans, deflating the value of the same assets to avoid paying taxes.
The $355 million verdict clearly bothers him, as Trump issued a message attacking the judge, the district attorney, the city of New York and even E. Jean Carroll.
Donald Trump is not taking the $355 million judgment against him well.
If Trump reacts so badly to a civil fine, imagine how he will react to being a criminally convicted felon. Things are bad for Trump, but they could get even worse as the criminal cases unfold.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association