Ex-president in Arizona warns appeal courts to ‘step up and straighten things out’ and insists he committed no crimes
In his first campaign rally after being convicted of 34 felonies, former president Donald Trump recalled how he just went through a “rigged” trial with a “highly conflicted” judge despite there being “no crime”.
The court cases Trump faces have become a mainstay of his campaigning throughout the last year, where he frequently tells his followers that the charges are a form of election interference and designed to tamp down the Maga movement.
“Those appellate courts have to step up and straighten things out, or we’re not going to have a country any longer,” he said.
Trump spoke at a Turning Point Action event in sweltering Phoenix, at Dream City church, a megachurch where he and Turning Point have held rallies in the past. The extreme heat led to some waiting outside for the venue to open to need medical attention for heatstroke.
There have been several Presidential also-rans who made a side career out of their losing campaigns. You need to have some level of accomplishment beforehand, of course, so people recognize your name. (Or, maybe you are just born with a famous one.) Then, you write at least one book. You announce an “exploratory committee”, to test how well you might do in a campaign, which can raise money and fund your travel. Eventually, you formally declare your candidacy, and raise more money.
All your travel is paid for by the campaign, you have paid staff coordinating it all so all you have to do is show up. You eat good meals at fund-raisers where people give you even more money, And - this is the most important part - the campaign buys your books at list price to give away to donors, steering campaign money right into your pocket. By the time you graciously bow out of the campaign, you’ve grifted enough to last until the next campaign starts.