Former President Donald Trump is unconcerned by the possibility that he could face jail time over the charges that have been brought against him in four different criminal cases.
“I have a great attitude,” he said on the Sept. 14 episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show” podcast. “It doesn’t affect me at all because I’m fighting for the country; I’m fighting for the people.”
Pointing to his continued dominance in the polls, the Republican presidential candidate added that he wasn’t worried about how a conviction might affect his chances of winning the 2024 election, either.
“These poll numbers are so good, and it makes me feel good, but I think we’re going to win the election no matter what happens because the people know it’s all fake.”
President Trump is facing criminal charges in two federal cases relating to his handling of classified documents and his challenge of the 2020 presidential election results. Two additional cases have been brought by Democrat prosecutors in New York and Atlanta, though the former president holds that those cases were also brought in coordination with the Biden Department of Justice.
‘It’s All Fake’
In the documents case, brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, President Trump stands accused of willful retention of national defense information, obstruction, and making false statements.
But the case, according to the former president, revolves around a “fake crime.”
“They create a fake crime, and then they say, ‘Oh, you obstructed.’ This is a fake thing that they’ve done,” he said.
Pointing to the Presidential Records Act of 1978, he contended that the law gives him the authority to decide which records he can keep.
As support for those claims, President Trump cited a similar case involving audio recordings that President Bill Clinton kept in a sock drawer. The recordings were made during President Clinton’s time in office, but when government watchdog group Judicial Watch sued to obtain access to them, a federal judge dismissed the case. The 42nd president, the judge ruled, had the authority to decide which records qualified as personal and which were presidential.
“This is all about the Presidential Records Act,” President Trump said. “I’m allowed to have these documents. I’m allowed to take these documents, classified or unclassified. And frankly, when I have them, they become unclassified.
“People think you have to go through a ritual—you don’t. At least, in my opinion, you don’t.”
Double Standard
President Trump has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges filed against him. But while he may not be worried about a conviction, one emotion he admitted to feeling was anger.Ms. Kelly, noting that he had not been accused of destroying classified documents, said: “Hillary Clinton destroyed documents while under subpoena—while under subpoena—and wasn’t even charged. … Does it make you angry?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “Yeah, it makes me angry.”
President Trump noted that Ms. Clinton smashed her cell phones and destroyed tens of thousands of emails after receiving a congressional subpoena, yet former FBI Director James Comey concluded that “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring charges against her.
“Yeah, there’s a double standard in this country, and the people aren’t standing for it,” he said. “People get it.”
And if the polls are any indicator, the people do get it—or at least Republican voters do.
According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls, the former president holds a commanding lead over the rest of the GOP primary field at 56.1 percent. In a distant second at 13 percent is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
But even so, President Trump added that he did not think the voters were in complete control over the results of elections in America.
“Our elections are crooked, our elections are rigged, our borders are open, our country’s in trouble,” he said.
“Our country’s in trouble.”
