Charged in New York, Donald Trump announced Sunday that he would speak from his Florida residence on Tuesday, the day he is supposed to appear in court in Manhattan, and is preparing for the "battle" according to his lawyers.
The former US president "will deliver a speech at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach" at 8:15 p.m. local time, his office said in a statement.
Unprecedented in US history, the 76-year-old Republican is being charged in a case related to a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. The charges will be made public Tuesday.
The billionaire denounces a "bogus and shameful" charge, according to him as part of a "witch hunt".
On Sunday, his lawyers continued the media offensive, ensuring that they were confident that the case would be rejected by a judge because it was wobbly.
"This case isn't even legally sound. Factually, it's a joke. It won't survive a court challenge," one of them, Joe Tacopina, told ABC. .
“I think a fair judge will probably recognize that something is fundamentally wrong, that we are crossing the Rubicon with this political persecution,” added another lawyer for Mr. Trump, James Trusty, on Fox.
“And fortunately, I suspect the indictment will be legally shaky, and the opportunity will arise for a judge to do what is right,” he added.
In the meantime, the ex-president "is preparing for battle", said Mr. Tacopina.
The two lawyers again hammered home that Donald Trump, who aims to return to the White House after losing the 2020 presidential election, was targeted for political reasons.
"If he wasn't running for president, he wouldn't have been charged," Joe Tacopina told CNN.
The Republican should, according to American media, leave his residence in Florida on Monday to go to New York.
On Tuesday, he must appear in a Manhattan court to be formally served with the charges against him.
"It's an absolute abuse of power," stormed Joe Tacopina. "He's a badass (...), and he's someone who is going to be ready for this battle," he added on ABC.
Mr. Trump also announced on Friday that he had raised $4 million in 24 hours for his campaign, in the wake of his indictment.
Tuesday's summons must give rise to an unprecedented ritual for a former head of state: the billionaire will have to state his name, age, profession, submit to fingerprinting and be photographed, as all warned.
02/04/2023 18:23:33 - Washington (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
