Fact-Checking Trump’s Defenses in His Court Cases

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T Kauer T Kauer
Apr 17, 2024 - 18:05
Fact-Checking Trump’s Defenses in His Court Cases

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The former president has trotted out a host of false and misleading claims to defend his conduct, attack judges and prosecutors and portray himself as a victim of political persecution.

Former President Donald J. Trump, wearing a dark blue suit with a red tie and white shirt, stands speaking behind a metal barricade.
Former President Donald J. Trump at the New York State Supreme Court. Mr. Trump has described the cases against him with colorful hyperbole, defended his conduct with faulty comparisons and lobbed false attacks and baseless accusations.Credit…Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times

Linda Qiu

As former President Donald J. Trump battles a series of criminal and civil actions while he runs to reclaim the White House, he has put his legal woes at center stage, making them a rallying cry for his re-election.

It is a tactic that is likely to be on full display this week as his trial in Manhattan over his role in a hush money payment in the 2016 race gets underway. Just as he has done with his other legal troubles, Mr. Trump has dismissed the charges in that case as part of an “election interference” scheme orchestrated by President Biden.

He has described the cases against him with colorful hyperbole, defended his conduct with faulty comparisons and lobbed false attacks and baseless accusations at opponents and adjudicators alike.

Asked for evidence of Mr. Trump’s claims, the campaign did not directly address the matter but continued to insist, with no evidence, that Mr. Trump was the target of a “witch hunt” led by the Democratic Party.

Here’s a fact-check of some of his most repeated claims.

Baseless accusations of a Biden-orchestrated conspiracy

What Mr. Trump Said

“Biden said it. He said — you know what their whole plan is? It was just released the other day. It didn’t — it was leaked by one of the many people that probably thought it was wrong. Their whole plan is to go after Trump in every way possible, especially criminally and legally.”
— at a rally in Georgia in March

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