Former US president Donald Trump said Friday he would not end his run for the White House if convicted and sentenced in any of the criminal investigations threatening to derail his tumultuous comeback bid.
The Republican frontrunner was discussing the multiple indictments he faces as he pushes for a second term, a day after prosecutors broadened the charges against him over his handling of classified government documents.
Asked by radio host John Fredericks if being sentenced would stop his campaign, Trump quickly responded: “Not at all. There’s nothing in the constitution to say that it could.
“And even the radical left crazies are saying not at all, that wouldn’t stop (me) – and it wouldn’t stop me, either,” the 77-year-old added. “These people are sick. What they are doing is absolutely horrible.”
The former president, who has been impeached twice, was recently indicted in the classified documents case. He is accused of endangering national security by retaining top-secret nuclear and defense information after leaving the White House.
The Justice Department has now added charges against Trump, bringing the total count to more than three dozen. In May, a judge in a civil trial found him liable for raping a writer in Manhattan during the 1990s.
Apart from the documents probe, Trump is facing numerous felony charges related to hush money payments to a porn star in New York. Additionally, he is anticipating indictment in state and federal investigations into his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
In a significant development, Special Counsel Jack Smith accused Trump of asking a worker at his Florida estate to delete surveillance footage, obstructing the investigators. Trump is scheduled to go on trial in March and May next year during the height of the campaign.
Despite the mounting legal challenges, Trump remains defiant, denying any wrongdoing. He recently gave a radio interview and is set to appear alongside his rival, Ron DeSantis, in the Iowa party’s annual Lincoln Dinner.
As for DeSantis, he has been facing his own difficulties, with Trump’s lead over him widening from 13 to 34 points. DeSantis has struggled to connect with voters and has been embroiled in controversies, including issues related to Nazi imagery promotion, vaccine conspiracy theories, and overspending in his campaign.
Other Republican presidential candidates, including Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Tim Scott, will also speak at the Lincoln Dinner. DeSantis, despite being attacked relentlessly by Trump, expressed that he is against the former president’s prosecution, advocating for a “fresh start” for the country.