SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa.—When former President Donald Trump denounced the New York criminal case against him as a “communist show trial,” thousands of people at his April 13 rally here responded with a thunderous chant: “We love Trump!”
“Thank you; I love you, too. ... That’s why I put up with this stuff,” President Trump said, referring to the repeated allegations and investigations he has faced ever since entering politics.
He expressed appreciation for the crowd at the Schnecksville Fire Company Fairgrounds, which he estimated at 42,000 people; most shivered in chilly, damp conditions with gusting winds for at least five hours.
Referencing the New York criminal case set to begin Monday, April 15, President Trump said, “When I walk into that courtroom, I know I will have the love of 200 million Americans behind me.” That equates to the number of registered U.S. voters in 2016; the former president said he also would be fighting for the freedom of all Americans.
“A vote for Donald Trump is a vote to save America’s future and a vote to save America’s freedom,” he said, adding, “A vote for Joe Biden is a vote to end the rule of law. And it’s a vote to destroy America.”
Before launching extensive commentary about his upcoming New York trial, the former president acknowledged Iran had just carried out airstrikes on Israel. “America prays for Israel,” he said.
While touting his own “peace-through-strength” approach, President Trump accused his successor and political opponent, President Joe Biden, of “weakness” that created a favorable climate for Israel to be attacked on Oct. 7 and again on April 13.
President Trump also accused President Biden of hurting the U.S. economy, encouraging illegal immigration, and “weaponizing” the justice system for political purposes—up to and including targeting his arch-political rival. The former president, a Republican, and the incumbent Democrat president are expected to face off against each other in the Nov. 5 general election.
“Our democracy is under siege because of Joe Biden,” President Trump said. “Joe Biden loves to say that democracy is on the ballot in this election. If it is, we’re going to win in the greatest landslide in history.”
The Pennsylvania crowd cheered loudly for that declaration and for many others, while huddling together for warmth as wind whipped dozens of American flags encircling the stage. Although temperatures were in the 50’s, it felt much colder than that at the outdoor rally.
‘Blatant Manipulation’
President Biden has denied influencing his Justice Department’s handling of investigations and prosecutions of President Trump. However, evidence surfaced recently showing that members of the Biden administration met with prosecutors involved in some of the federal indictments brought against President Trump; House Republicans are investigating further.When the so-called “hush money case” trial begins in New York, “the entire world will witness the commencement of the very first ‘Biden trial’—they’re all ‘Biden trials,’ you know that, right?” President Trump said.
The New York case involves state charges that are not connected to President Biden’s Justice Department, which spearheaded federal cases against the former president in Florida and Washington, D.C. But President Trump said he sees all the cases similarly.
In the “hush money” case, President Trump stands accused of falsifying business records to conceal payments to an adult film actress. The goal, prosecutors say, was to buy her silence about accusations of an affair, which could have hurt his 2016 presidential run.
“This is a case of blatant manipulation of the law and the facts, like ‘Russia, Russia, Russia,’ and all the other hoaxes that we’ve had to endure,” said President Trump. He was referring to the years-long investigation that found no evidence that he colluded with Russians to sway the 2016 election in his favor.
In the New York case, President Trump asserted that District Attorney Alan Bragg is trying to enforce U.S. campaign finance law, which he has no authority to do.
That power is vested in the Federal Election Commission, which investigated the “hush money” case but decided to take no action against President Trump.
Mr. Bragg also initially decided against pursuing any criminal charges. “It’s a garbage case that he himself rejected a year earlier,” President Trump said.
But the case resurfaced in time for President Trump to be indicted in March 2023, a few months after he announced his third bid for the presidency. Then officials pushed for the trial to be held prior to the 2024 election.
The alleged record falsifications date to 2016–2017, yet everything is coming to a head “smack in the middle of our election campaign,” President Trump said.
Even Trump Detractors Agree
The New York “hush money” case has been roundly criticized as weak and legally flawed.“This phony indictment has been torn apart and demolished by legal experts from across the political spectrum,” President Trump said, backing up his statement by quoting well-known legal scholars such as Alan Dershowitz and Jonathan Turley, along with several other experts.
One expert stated that it would take an hour “just to flesh out all the problems with this case,” President Trump said.
He pointed out that many condemnations of the New York case are coming from people who dislike him. “Can you imagine if they like me how good they'd be?” President Trump said, as the crowd chuckled along with him.
Judge Merchan said he “narrowly tailored” the order to maintain President Trump’s “constitutional right to speak to the American voters freely.” But President Trump said he considered himself to be “fully gagged.”
Call to Defeat Democrats
The prosecutions are evidence that “the radical left Democrat Party seeks to do anything possible to keep me from running and winning an election,” President Trump said.Mr. Bragg is indeed a Democrat, as is Fani Willis, the prosecutor who brought Georgia state charges against President Trump and 18 of his allies. Ms. Willis, like Mr. Bragg, has denied political motivations.
President Trump says he is innocent and has been wrongfully targeted. “I did nothing wrong from Day One,” he said.
Toward the end of his speech, which lasted about 75 minutes, the former president encouraged rally-goers to vote in the state’s April 23 primary.
He also endorsed David McCormick, a Republican seeking to unseat Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.).
He also encouraged people to sign up to volunteer for the Trump campaign and help him to “win big in November.”
“We’re taking on some of the most menacing forces and vicious opponents our people have ever seen,” he said, adding, “You must never forget this nation does not belong to them. It belongs to you.”
