Donald Trump sprayed the room with profanity and compared himself to Al Capone on Saturday as he attacked prosecutors who threatened to send him to jail.
The former president accused Democrats of running a “Gestapo administration” and called special prosecutor Jack Smith a “fucking moron” while addressing a $40,000-a-head fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.
He joked with his audience about who he would pick as his vice presidential running mate and praised embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson, ordering Republican critics to “leave him alone.”
He mocked Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis as “a real beauty” and joked that his daughter-in-law Lara would not have married his son Eric if she had known her future father-in-law was at risk of going to prison.
‘Once they accused me, I was like, holy shit, they just accused me. “They accused me,” she said. ‘In fact, Lara, if she had known I was accused, she probably wouldn’t have joined the family.
The former president came out swinging when he returned to Mar-a-Lago for a $40,000-a-person fundraising lunch for donors and lawmakers on Saturday.
He called special prosecutor Jack Smith a ‘damn moron’ and Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis ‘a real beauty’ as he set his sights on prosecutors who want him jailed.
He returned to his Florida headquarters after a week in New York at his Stormy Daniels hush money trial.
About 400 donors and lawmakers attended the luncheon at Trump’s Florida estate, where he returned Friday night after the first week of his hush money trial in New York.
In his 90-minute speech, he said he was surprised to have been the first former president criminally charged and blamed his 2020 loss on Democrats who “rigged and stole that election.” And we’re not going to let that happen again,” according to a tape leaked to the Washington Post.
And he compared himself to famous Chicago gangster Alphonse ‘Al’ Capone, who was eventually jailed for tax evasion.
The presumptive Republican nominee faces 88 criminal charges in four separate state and federal cases, including a charge in the state of Georgia under Willis of interfering with the results of the 2020 election.
She was forced to fire her special prosecutor Nathan Wade in March after it was discovered that the two had been in a relationship during the investigation of the case.
Trump referred to her as “Mrs. Wade” and compared himself to the famous Chicago gangster Al Capone, who was eventually jailed for tax evasion.
“They accused me like Alphonse and like all these people,” he said.
But he put a protective arm around Johnson, who was in the audience and faces an attempt by Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene to unseat him when Congress returns next week, interrupting his speech to tell him “you’re doing a very good job.” . .
And he sympathized with Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, suggesting that his indictment last week for accepting $600,000 in bribes from an Azerbaijani oil company was “for political reasons, because he was tough on the border.”
But he had less sympathy for his former attorney general Bill Barr, who described Trump’s behavior on January 6 as “nauseating” and told his audience that he would need an attorney general with “courage.”
And he laid out some of the qualities he would look for in a vice president, insisting that there is no shortage of volunteers.
“It’s funny, when I hear the fake news, everyone says, ‘Well, you know, he’s going to have a hard time getting people into his administration because he’s so tough and I’m not sure he can get anyone to be vice.'” president of the United States,” he told his audience.
‘I’ve got 50 people calling me, begging me ‘I’ll cut off my right arm, sir.’ Please, I want to be vice president.’
“These are ambitious politicians.”
The former president has been unusually reticent about who might make the cut.
But he named Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, whose profile has skyrocketed since she grilled heads of Ivy League universities about their handling of anti-Semitism on campus.
“Everyone said she was going to be the vice presidential candidate,” he joked.
He called North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, pictured with his wife Kathryn, “really impressive” as he provided the deepest insight yet into his thoughts on a vice presidential nomination.
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, whose profile has skyrocketed since she grilled Ivy League university bosses about their handling of anti-Semitism on campus, also received praise.
Republican Senators Tim Scott and Marco Rubio have buried their differences with their former rival for the Republican presidential nomination.
While weighing his vice presidential prospects, Trump said that “Hillbilly Elegy” author-turned-senator JD Vance of Ohio had “turned out to be amazing.”
But he also called former Republican rival Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina “one of the best replacements,” and said “Hillbilly Elegy” author-turned-Senator JD Vance of Ohio “turned out to be amazing.”
He called North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, another Republican primary rival, “really impressive.”
And he kept the door open to his 2016 Republican rival, ‘Little Marco’ Rubio, insisting that the Florida senator is a ‘talented guy.’
‘Every time they say ‘Are you being considerate?’ I say ‘Absolutely.’ Trump said.
The former president has faced legal costs of around $500 million over the past two years in fines, judgments and legal bills, and Reuters reported last month that Trump’s fundraising trailed Joe Biden’s by more than 30 million dollars.
The former president was eager to make up ground Saturday, telling his audience: “Anyone who makes a million-dollar donation right now to the Republican Party, I’ll let them come and talk.”
Two donors took the stage after paying and one of them told the crowd: “Donald J. Trump is the person God has chosen.”