Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday night gave a speech to supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, to which he returned after his arraignment in New York.
"I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” he said, according to Newsmax, adding, "The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.”
The former President then launched into the list of complaints he has long talked about who he says have unfairly targeted him.
"From the beginning, the Democrats spied on my campaign. Remember that?" he noted. "They attacked me with an onslaught of fraudulent investigations. Russia Russia, Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine. Impeachment hoax No. 1, impeachment hoax No. 2, the illegal and unconstitutional rate on Mar-a-Lago right here. Lying to the FISA courts."
He then went on to list his claims of election interference throughout the 2020 election that sent him to defeat against Joe Biden. He said this case was further election interference in the 2024 election for which he is currently running.
Earlier, as he returned from Manhattan, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social website: "Just lifted off for Palm Beach, Florida. Will be delivering remarks tonight at Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 P.M., EASTERN. The hearing was shocking to many in that they had no “surprises,” and therefore, no case. Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!"
At the arraignment earlier in the day, Trump pleaded "not guilty" to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
The charges are related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Speaking to reporters after the arraignment, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg claimed that Trump "repeatedly made false statements" on New York business records and made others do the same.
"These are felony crimes in New York state, no matter who you are," Bragg said. "We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct."