Trump addresses concerns he would seek retribution: 'I would have every right to go after them'

Former President Trump said Wednesday he would have “every right” to go after his political adversaries if he is re-elected in November. 

Trump sat down for an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity to discuss the state of the country and his political campaign after he was found guilty last week on 34 counts of falsifying business records in NY v. Trump.

Hannity asked the former president what he would say to people who believe he wants retribution and will use the justice system to go after his political adversaries if he returns to the White House in 2025. 

“Number one, they’re wrong,” Trump replied. “It has to stop, because otherwise, we’re not going to have a country. Look, when this election is over, based on what they’ve done, I would have every right to go after them, and it’s easy, because it’s Joe Biden and you see all the criminality, all of the money that’s going into the family and him, all of this money from China, from Russia, from Ukraine.”

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee claims the Biden family and its associates received millions from foreign entities — including countries like China, Ukraine and Romania — when President Biden was vice president.

BIDEN FAMILY, HUNTER ASSOCIATES RAKED IN OVER $17M FROM FOREIGN SOURCES, IRS WHISTLEBLOWER TESTIFIES

“The Bidens intentionally sought to hide, confuse, and conceal their influence-peddling schemes, but bank records don’t lie. The Bidens made millions from foreign nationals providing what seems to be no services other than access and influence. From the thousands of records we’ve obtained so far, we know the Biden family set up over a dozen companies when Joe Biden was vice president,” read a press release from House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer’s office in May 2023.

Biden’s brother James testified earlier this year that the president “never had any involvement” in the family’s business dealings. Ian Sams, the White House spokesman for oversight and investigations, told MSNBC last year that there “isn’t any evidence of wrongdoing” as House Republicans claim.

Trump said he doesn’t want to do what Democrats have done to the Republican Party. 

“They want to arrest on no crime. They want to arrest the person that won the nomination in a landslide,” he told “Hannity.” 

TRUMP FLIPS HIS 2020 STANCE, LAUNCHES ABSENTEE BALLOT AND EARLY VOTING PUSH

“What they’re doing to me, if it’s going to continue, we’re really not going to have much of a country left. It’s really, it is weaponization. You call it lawfare, you call it — some people call it just warfare — but it is weaponization of the election,” the 2024 GOP frontrunner added. 

“And we’re talking about, I think, the most important election in the history of our country. This will go down, I believe, as the most important election in the history of our country. We can’t have this stuff go on.” 

CNN's Zakaria says first debate with Trump will be 'make-or-break' for Biden's campaign

CNN host Fareed Zakaria argued that the upcoming first debate between President Biden and former President Trump might decide the current president’s chances at a second term.

“I think it‘s a big moment for Biden. I think it’s in some ways a make-or-break,” Zakaria said during a guest appearance on “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta.” “He has a lot more to gain or lose from this.”  

CNN host Jim Acosta recalled Zakaria’s recent viral commentary, noting that the future of Biden’s presidency is in question as his polling drops against Trump. Acosta asked if Biden could “use these debates to turn that around.”

Zakaria said Biden “has to approach this as if he‘s the underdog, as if he‘s coming from behind, which is all true, but it‘s hard for the president of the United States to think that way. It‘s one of the reasons presidents have typically done badly in debates, particularly in the first debate.”

BIDEN ROASTED FOR ‘FREUDIAN SLIP’ REFERRING TO IMMIGRATION INFLUX OF ‘HISPANIC VOTERS’

Zakaria argued that when someone serves as president, they are surrounded by people who defer to their opinion, citing then-President Obama’s surprising first debate against Mitt Romney, now a GOP Utah senator.

“Obama — who‘s a very good orator — did very badly in the first debate against Romney because the president has been spending his time governing, he’s been spending his time with his Cabinet and his White House staff, all of whom defer to him. Every time he walks into the room, the Marine band plays, every time he walks under a tarmac, he‘s walking on Air Force One or Marine One. It‘s not an atmosphere conducive to recognizing that people can disagree with you,” Zakaria said. “You don‘t realize that you have to punch and counter-punch.”

BIDEN’S BORDER POLICY ISN’T INCOMPETENCE, IT’S BY DESIGN: EX-ICE CHIEF

“So Biden has to take this opportunity to be very feisty,” Zakaria argued. “The thing I pointed out in that commentary was he is really behind on the question of who is more competent, and I believe that there‘s a 25-point drop from the 2020 rates for Biden. That is about energy, that‘s about your ability to show that you‘re in command, you‘re in control, so it‘s a big moment for Biden.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

“I think it‘s a historic opportunity for him,” he concluded. “There‘s a great moment for CNN. I think this will be one of the most widely and closely watched debates in American history.” 

Catholics' support swings for Trump over Biden by significant margin: poll

Catholics in the United States have swung dramatically against President Biden in recent years, now boasting a significant statistical break towards his GOP challenger.

Pew Research released on Apr. 30 a report exploring support for presidential candidates sorted by religious affiliation.

The poll found that 55% of Catholics support or lean towards supporting former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head against Biden.

BIDEN SPARKS CHRISTIAN GROUP’S ANGER AFTER MAKING SIGN OF THE CROSS AT ABORTION RALLY: ‘DISGUSTING INSULT’

Conversely, only 45% of Catholics support Biden in the same one-on-one pairing.

The 12% margin of support in favor of Trump marks a significant shift from 2020, when he held an extremely narrow lead — 50% to 49%.

Biden currently leads among Hispanic Catholics with a narrow 49%-47% split, but the close contest marks a major shift rightward for the demographic. In 2020, a similar poll from Pew Research found Hispanic Catholics preferred Biden to Trump with a staggering 67%-26% split.

BIDEN ‘DOESN’T UNDERSTAND THE CATHOLIC FAITH,’ BISHOP SAYS: ‘I’M NOT ANGRY AT HIM, HE’S JUST STUPID’

Approximately 60% of protestants expressed support for Trump, according to the April survey. Conversely, about 38% said they leaned toward Biden.

Atheists, agnostics, and the religiously unaffiliated broke in favor of Biden by a large margin — approximately 69% said they would back the Democratic incumbent while only 28% voiced support for Trump.

Biden has leaned into his Catholic identity in his presidential campaigns, asserting himself as a devout believer despite blatant disregard for non-negotiable church teachings.

However, Catholic leaders have pushed back on this self-characterization and pointed out his support of policies utterly contrary to the faith, such as pro-choice deregulation and affirmation of gender ideology.

Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington D.C. previously called Biden a “Cafeteria Catholic” — saying he “picks and chooses dimensions of the faith to highlight while ignoring or even contradicting other parts.”

The post Catholics' support swings for Trump over Biden by significant margin: poll appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

Bill Maher skewers Trump, GOP's shift on abortion: 'So killing babies is OK in some states?'

“Real Time” host Bill Maher took aim at former President Trump and Republicans for their dramatic shift on abortion as the 2024 election steadily approaches.  Maher kicked off the panel discussion on the Arizona Supreme Court’s landmark ruling upholding a near-total abortion ban in the state, a direct result of the Supreme Court overturning Roe … Continue reading Bill Maher skewers Trump, GOP's shift on abortion: 'So killing babies is OK in some states?'

Trump says he'll testify at NYC hush money trial: 'I tell the truth'

Former President Trump has said he will testify at his upcoming hush money trial in New York City.

“I’m testifying. I tell the truth. I mean, all I can do is tell the truth,” Trump told reporters at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Friday. “And the truth is, that there’s no case.”

He’s set to appear at the trial, which stemmed from accusations that he falsified business records to cover up a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election, on Monday.

The ex-president and current 2024 White House candidate made the announcement alongside Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Fla., who was in Palm Beach to roll out a legislative package aimed at bolstering election integrity.

This story is breaking and will be updated…

Liz Cheney won't commit to voting for Joe Biden in 'View' appearance, but will 'never' vote for Trump

Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney joined the hosts of ABC’s “The View” on Wednesday and refused to commit to voting for President Biden in 2024, but said she would never vote for Donald Trump. 

The hosts of “The View” asked Cheney twice if she would vote for Biden in 2024 over Trump, if he ends up being the Republican nominee

“Nobody has voted yet, so we don’t know for sure who the nominees are going to be on each side,” Cheney said.

She also argued that the Republican Party was not likely to survive and there would be “a huge tectonic shift in our politics.” Co-host Joy Behar asked Cheney again who she would vote for in 2024 if it were Biden v. Trump, which polls show is currently the most likely matchup in November.

CONSERVATIVES SLAM LIZ CHENEY AFTER SHE ENDORSES MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT SLOTKIN

“Let me ask you a radical question, because I know you’re a patriotic American… Would you vote for Biden?” Behar asked.

“I’m not going to endorse anybody today,” Cheney said. “And I think that, again, we don’t know exactly what the choice will be. I’d say that I will never vote for Donald Trump. There are some conservatives who are trying to make this claim that somehow Biden is a bigger risk than Trump. My view is, I disagree with a lot of Joe Biden’s policies. We can survive bad policies. We cannot survive torching the Constitution.”

Behar agreed and said Biden was not “crazy.” 

Cheney released a memoir titled “Oath & Honor” focused on the former president and the “threat posed by his efforts to overturn the election” of 2020. The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, she was an ally of Trump’s at times when he was in office and ascended to chair of the House Republican Conference, but she vehemently opposed his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. She further angered Republicans when she joined the Jan. 6 House Select Committee that investigated the events surrounding the 2021 Capitol riot. 

As a result, she was defeated in a landslide in her GOP primary race for Wyoming’s at-large congressional seat in 2022.

LIZ CHENEY ADDRESSES CRITICISMS OF HER CRITIQUES OF TRUMP AND BIDEN

The anti-Trump Republican delivered a speech in New Hampshire on Friday and called on voters to reject the “plague of cowardice” within the GOP.

“Speak for us all. Tell the world who we are with your vote. Tell them that we are a good and a great nation,” she added. “But make sure they know that we do not bend, we do not break and we do not yield in the defense of our freedom. Show the world that we will defeat the plague of cowardice sweeping through the Republican Party.”

Cheney also told the hosts of “The View” that politicians must continue to talk about democracy, even if Americans are tired of the democracy message. 

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We have to make sure people understand, especially independents, that if — when you get down to if it ends up being a choice, if he ends up as the Republican nominee, independents cannot say to themselves, ‘You know what, I don’t like a bunch of things about him but I’m going to go ahead and vote for him.’ We cannot take that risk, because we know what he’s done. He attempted to seize power, and he’s continuing every single day to make threats of political violence, he’s been absolutely clear he will not have around him again the people who stopped the very worst,” she said.

Colorado GOP asking US Supreme Court to overturn ruling disqualifying Trump from 2024 ballot

The Colorado Republican Party said it’s asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that barred former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s 2024 ballot. 

Earlier this month, the Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote, overturned a lower court ruling that allowed Trump to appear on the ballot as a presidential candidate. The initial ruling said a president is not among the officials subject to disqualification on a ballot. 

“By excluding President Trump from the ballot, the Colorado Supreme Court engaged in an unprecedented disregard for the First Amendment right of political parties to select the candidates of their choice and a usurpation of the rights of the people to choose their elected officials,” attorneys for the state Republican party wrote in a petition of the Dec. 19 ruling. 

POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Colorado GOP. 

In their opinion, the justices on the state’s high court wrote that Trump “incited and encouraged” the use of violence to prevent the peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 6, 2021, when many of his followers stormed the U.S. Capitol as congressional lawmakers were certifying President Biden’s election win. 

The case is being appealed based on three main arguments: whether the president is among those officials subject to disqualification by Section Three of the 14th Amendment, the so-called insurrection clause; whether Section Three is “self-executing,” meaning that it allows states to remove candidates from a ballot in absence of any congressional action. 

The last point rests on whether denying a political party the ability to choose a candidate of its choice in a presidential primary and general election violates the First Amendment Right of Association. The attorneys said by excluding Trump, Colorado’s highest court has concluded that individuals, courts and election officials can possess legal authority to enforce Section Three. 

“Rejecting a long history of precedent, a state Supreme Court has now concluded that individual litigants, state courts, and secretaries of state in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia have authority to enforce Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment,” the state party wrote.

The party also said that other states may follow Colorado’s lead and exclude Trump from their ballots as well. Disqualification lawsuits relating to Trump’s appearance on the ballot are pending in 13 states, including Texas, Nevada and Wisconsin.

“With the number of challenges to President Trump’s candidacy now pending in other states, ranging from lawsuits to administrative proceedings, there is a real risk the Colorado Supreme Court majority’s flawed and unprecedented analysis will be borrowed, and the resulting grave legal error repeated,” the petition states. 

In the lower court ruling, Colorado District Judge Sarah B. Wallace allowed Trump to stay on the ballot, but found that he “engaged in insurrection” for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Biden won Colorado by 13.5 points in 2020.

On Wednesday, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected an attempt to remove Trump from the state’s 2024 Republican primary ballot.

“Significantly, Colorado’s election laws differ from Michigan’s laws in a material way that is directly relevant to why the appellants in this case are not entitled to the relief they seek concerning the presidential primary election in Michigan,” Justice Elizabeth Welch wrote Wednesday, explaining the court’s ruling.

Trump calls out immigration crisis during Iowa caucus rally, says he will keep world peaceful, safe

Former President Donald Trump rallied voters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, during a “Commit to Caucus” campaign event Saturday, focusing on his agenda and calling out “the worst, most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America.” 

“We don’t like corrupt politicians like Joe Biden. Without question, this is the worst president, most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America without question,” Trump exclaimed, in anticipation of next month’s Iowa GOP presidential caucuses. “And I promise you this, if you put me back in the White House there, rain will be over and America will be a free nation once again.” 

When speaking about keeping America safe, Trump said he would immediately implement travel restrictions on terror-plagued countries.

“I will immediately restore and expand the Trump travel ban on entry from terror-plagued countries and I will implement strong ideological screening on all immigrants as we have no choice,” he said. “If you hate America, if you want to abolish Israel, if you sympathize with jihad[ists], then we don’t want you in our country, and you’re not going to come into our country.”

TRUMP CAMPAIGN CALLS DESANTIS ‘THIRSTY ONLYFANS WANNABE’ FOR DEBATING NEWSOM: ‘KISS OF DEATH’

Adding to his remarks on a travel ban and current unrest in the Middle East, Trump pointed to the historic Abraham Accords, and described how he would make sure there was worldwide peace once again if elected.

“So for four straight years, I kept America safe. I kept Ukraine safe. None of this stuff would have happened. And I kept the entire world safe,” Trump said. 

DESANTIS STOPS IN ALL 99 IOWA COUNTIES, BUT WILL IT HELP HIM CLOSE THE GAP WITH TRUMP, STAY AHEAD OF HALEY?

Trump added he would do everything in his power to keep the United States out of a war. 

“I will prevent World War III. I will prevent it. On my first day back in the White House, I will terminate every open-border policy of the Biden administration, stop the invasion on our southern border, and begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” Trump said. 

RAPPER SAYS HE ‘WISHES’ TRUMP WERE STILL PRESIDENT, ‘BIDEN GOT TO GO’ BECAUSE OF HIGH GAS AND FOOD PRICES

“We are a nation that has lost its way, but we are not going to allow this horror to continue. Three years ago, we were a great nation, and we will soon be a great nation again,” he said. 

Overtime – Episode #417: Correspondents Dinner, GOP vs Trump, Climate Science

Bill and his guests – Jeffrey Lord, Bill McKibben, Rosa Brooks, Charlie Sykes, and Joy Reid – answer viewer questions after the show. (Originally aired 3/3/17) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. The post Overtime – Episode #417: Correspondents Dinner, GOP vs Trump, Climate Science appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And … Continue reading Overtime – Episode #417: Correspondents Dinner, GOP vs Trump, Climate Science