Donald Trump has spoken out in a video posted to his social media channels for the first time since being indicted on charges of trying to overturn the election – but used the moment instead to slam Joe Biden and his ‘crime family.’
Trump declared that Biden was ‘a Manchurian Candidate’ – his new favorite insult – and claimed that the president was being controlled by China.
He also demanded, in an earlier post on Tuesday, that his trials be held after the 2024 election.
‘It is now 100 percent that the Biden crime family received more than $20 million from foreign countries while crooked Joe was vice president – and probably a lot more than that; that’s just the money they’ve found,’ Trump began.
‘Not one of Joe Biden’s defenders has even attempted to explain what Joe and his family did, including his children and his grandchildren – what were they doing to get all this money?
‘I believe we have a compromised president. He was bribed and now he is being blackmailed. He’s a Manchurian Candidate.’
The term ‘Manchurian Candidate’ comes from a 1959 novel by Richard Condon, which tells of the son of a prominent U.S. political dynasty who is brainwashed into being an unwitting assassin for a Communist conspiracy.
The thriller has been turned into several films – most recently in 2004, starring Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber and Meryl Streep.
‘That’s why crooked Joe is letting other countries walk all over the United States,’ said Trump.
‘He’s petrified of China because they know exactly how much money has been given to him, and they know where it is. China has paid him a fortune.’
Trump said Biden shut down ‘my initiative targeting Chinese spies in the United States’ and ‘let China off the hook for COVID’, allowing the Chinese to set up bases in Cuba and Taiwan.
He added: ‘Crooked Joe’s corruption is a glaring threat to national security,’ and predicted ‘World War Three with this grossly incompetent man’.
Trump said ‘as soon as I am re-elected’ he will appoint a special counsel ‘to look at all these bribes and kick-backs.’
‘They are trying to stop me. The one person they don’t want to run is Donald Trump,’ the former president added.
Earlier on Tuesday, he demanded the trials be held after the election.
‘All of these Biden Administration bogus trials and cases, including the locals, should be brought after the 2024 Presidential Election,’ he wrote on Truth Social.
‘What they have done is already Election Interference, but if the trials are held before the Election, then it would be Interference on a scale never seen in our Country before.’
Trump on Monday was criminally indicted for the fourth time, with a grand jury in Georgia deciding he warranted trial with 18 other on charges connected to trying to overturn the 2020 election.
The charges, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, charge the 19 for a scheme calculated to reverse Trump’s defeat to Biden.
The sprawling 98-page indictment listed 19 defendants and 41 criminal counts in all.
All the defendants were charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a minimum penalty of five years in prison.
Trump was charged with 13 of the 41 counts: if convicted on all charges, he faces more than 70 years in prison.
Mark Meadows, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and John Eastman were among those charged.
‘Rather than abide by Georgia’s legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia’s presidential election result,’ Willis said at a press conference just before midnight.
Trump and the other defendants have until noon EDT on Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender voluntarily, rather than face arrest, Willis said.
She said she means to try all 19 defendants together within six months.
Court records show the case has been assigned to Judge Scott McAfee, a former prosecutor appointed in February by Republican Governor Brian Kemp.
He will seek election next year to retain his position.
Echoing his criticism of the many other investigations he faces, Trump called the indictment a political ‘witch hunt’ in a social media post and accused Willis, an elected Democrat, of trying to sabotage his presidential comeback bid.
He said he would release a report on Monday on ‘Presidential Election Fraud’ that would exonerate him. ‘They never went after those that Rigged the Election. They only went after those that fought to find the RIGGERS!’ he said.
Giuliani, who rose to national prominence by using racketeering laws to take down New York mobsters in the 1980s, said prosecutors in this case were ‘the real criminals.’
🚨BREAKING: Trump announces plan to appoint Special Counsel to investigate Joe Biden criminal corruption when re-elected:
“I believe we have a compromised President. He was bribed, and now he’s being blackmailed. He’s a Manchurian Candidate… Justice will be done.” pic.twitter.com/qHl6a6udnf
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 15, 2023
BREAKING: Donald Trump will be booked at the Fulton County jail according to the sheriff.
It’s just a game to them and they’re laughing in your face.
Here is D.A. Fani Willis acting completely oblivious to how the Trump indictment could be posted online before the grand jury… pic.twitter.com/meo8EVZx3p
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 16, 2023
If you see a Give Send Go floating around for @JennaEllisEsq, who was indicted last night, DO NOT DONATE.
She has already publicly threatened online to turn on Donald Trump. And given that she’s a pathological liar, God only knows what type of lies she would tell about Donald… https://t.co/ThcO4I33S0 pic.twitter.com/StrQvsEwfa
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) August 15, 2023