Trump Maintains His Innocence, Says Bragg Has ‘No Case’ Against Him

'The Only Crime That I've Committed Is to Fiercely Defend Our Nation,' Trump Says After Arraignment

WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - APRIL 04: Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event at Mar-a-Lago April 4, 2023 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Earlier in the day, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts stemming from hush money payments in 2016 to two women, becoming the first former U.S. president in history to be charged with a criminal offense. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

PALM BEACH, Fla.—Former President Donald Trump said that the United States has sunk to the level of the “old Soviet Union” during a speech given from the ballroom of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 4, hours after pleading not guilty to felony charges brought by New York prosecutors.

“I never thought anything like this could happen in America,” Trump said, speaking to the cheers of a fired up, invitation-only audience of about 500 about two hours after returning from Manhattan.