Trump Returns to Fox News, Responds to ‘Death and Destruction’ Controversy

President Donald Trump at an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity before a Make America Great Again rally in Las Vegas, Nev., Sept. 20, 2018. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

Former President Donald Trump returned to Fox News on Monday night for the first time in months and responded to questions about allegations that he might be charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.

Last week, Trump received criticism after he posted to Truth Social that “death and destruction” may occur if he’s indicted in connection to the case. Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity in a wide-ranging interview, the former president denied that he did not call for destruction but was merely issuing a warning of what might happen in the future.

Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, noted that he “didn’t say [to] do something bad ... I said I’m afraid people will do something.” The former president also disputed claims he wanted to incite violence after posting to Truth Social a National File article that featured an image of Trump jokingly holding a baseball bat that was juxtaposed next to Bragg’s head.

“We didn’t see pictures. We put up a story that was very exculpatory, very good story from the standpoint of what we’re talking about,” he said of the National File article.

Also in the interview, Trump spoke about other investigations, including the Department of Justice’s probe into whether he mishandled allegedly classified materials. In another high-profile incident, FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida last August, drawing condemnation from the former president.

“Remember this: This is the Presidential Records Act. I have the right to take stuff,” Trump told Fox News, adding: “I have the right to take stuff. I have the right to look at stuff. But they have the right to talk, and we have the right to talk.”

Fox News Relationship

In recent months, Trump’s relationship with Fox News appears to be frosty. The former president has for weeks criticized the Rupert Murdoch-owned network for what he called glowing coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who some say may enter the 2024 race to challenge him. Other than Fox News, Murdoch’s media empire also includes the New York Post, Wall Street Journal, and Sky News.

Trump’s interview with Hannity, meanwhile, marks the first time that he’s spoken with Fox News since he announced his third presidential bid last November. His last appearance on the network came in the fall of 2022 where he, too, was interviewed by Hannity and spoke about a range of topics.

Fox News has not carried Trump’s rallies or live speeches like it used to. Some of Trump’s allies, including his former 2016 campaign manager, Steve Bannon, have been especially critical of the broadcaster for allegedly cutting away or not broadcasting Trump’s live remarks.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York City, on March 23, 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

“Note to Fox News senior management: When Donald J. Trump talks, it’s newsworthy,” Bannon told a Conservative Political Action Conference crowd earlier in March. “Is there really that much going on at two in the afternoon on Fox News that you can’t cover him live,” Bannon said. “They don’t respect you ... they have a fear, a loathing and a contempt for you.”

Lawyer Elaborates

Trump’s high-powered attorney in the Manhattan case, Joe Tacopina, told NBC News on Sunday that Trump did not fabricate claims that he would be indicted last week. The attorney said Trump was reacting to news reports that he would be arrested.

“There had been a leak … that Monday, the day before that Tuesday, there was a law enforcement meeting, including Secret Service and NYPD, that was going to go through the logistics of the arraignment. And then there was, of course, a lot of rumors regarding the arraignment being the next day,” Tacopina told the channel. “So he just, I think he just assumed based on those leaks that that’s what was going to happen.”

“So it wasn’t about making it up, and certainly he doesn’t want to be arrested,” the attorney said, referring to the 45th president.

Last week, Bragg’s office issued a statement to House Republicans who are seeking information and testimony about the investigation into Trump, saying that the former commander-in-chief erroneously said he would be arrested.

“The letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene,” Bragg’s office said. “Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry.”

When asked during the NBC News interview, Tacopina said that his team was not in communication with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, which did not provide any details about a possible indictment.

“No, not through us. I mean, we’ve been in touch with the district attorney’s office regarding potential logistics of an arraignment, if it gets to that point,“ Tacopina said. ”But certainly, it didn’t come from us. It came from the leaks that we all read in the newspaper that Monday, or the Friday preceding.”