Trump claims he’s not allowed to testify in his own defense because of gag order
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After today’s trial proceedings, Trump talked at length to reporters about how he’s not allowed to talk to them about the case. He also said he can’t testify because the judge won’t let him:
In remarks to reporters outside of the courtroom, Trump called the gag order “unconstitutional” and said his legal team was working to appeal it. He also appeared to say that he wasn’t allowed to testify in the case because of the gag order.
“I’m not allowed, as a presidential candidate — the leading candidate, the Republican Party nominee, and the one who’s leading Biden by a lot — I’m not allowed to talk,” Trump said.
He added, “There’s never been an abuse like this before, this conflicted judge should get out of this case, he should not be having this case. He gives us nothing. It’s such a rigged court. So I’m not allowed to testify. Because of an unconstitutional gag order. We’re appealing the gag order.”
538 curated average of national polls as of today:
Trump: 41.4%
Biden: 40.8%
Meanwhile, Trump is now explicitly refusing to accept the results of the upcoming election if he loses:
Donald Trump appeared to disclose what he’ll do if President Joe Biden beats him a second straight time in November ― and it’s troubling to say the least.
In an interview Wednesday with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Trump said of the upcoming presidential showdown, “If everything’s honest, I’ll gladly accept the results. I don’t change on that. If it’s not, you have to fight for the right of the country.”
Needless to say, “honest elections” are limited strictly to those he wins.
ETA: I should have noted that an annoying tic so many journalists have, present here in both the quoted stories, is to say that Trump “appeared” to say something when he simply said it. Nobody else as far as I’m aware gets this treatment. With Trump, even after nearly nine years of this, it’s that he “appeared” to say this horrible/false/incoherent/barking insane thing, because if he really said it, that would be pretty bad!
Just to be clear, I remain optimistic about Biden’s chances: I think Trump’s gradual crack-up over the course of this and possible future trials are going to leave him even more incoherent and pathetic by this fall than he is now.
But that he’s the Republican candidate for president, and that he has any chance at all of being re-elected, are grave indictments of American politics, law, and culture.