While President Biden quickly said he was referring to his predecessor’s politics and not to jail time, Donald Trump said it was proof of his unfounded claim the president is behind his criminal cases.
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Former President Donald J. Trump speaking on Wednesday night at a rally in Duluth, Ga.
Former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday seized on President Biden’s remark that he wanted to see his predecessor behind bars, citing the comment as evidence of Mr. Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that Mr. Biden had orchestrated the four criminal cases against him.
Mr. Biden told supporters on Tuesday at a local Democratic campaign office in New Hampshire that, “We got to lock him up,” and then quickly revised the remark to say he meant “politically lock him up.”
On Wednesday at a rally in Georgia, Mr. Trump cast Mr. Biden’s remarks as proof of “election interference” and suggested that Mr. Biden backtracked in order to limit any possible legal fallout.
There is no evidence that Mr. Biden or his staff played a role in any of the four indictments filed against Mr. Trump.
“I’ve been telling you that it’s election interference,” Mr. Trump said to thousands at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga. “This is all it is. He said ‘we got to lock him up.’ This is illegal.”
ImageTrump supporters at the rally on Wednesday in Duluth, Ga.Credit…Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Mr. Biden had largely stayed away from discussing Mr. Trump’s criminal cases. But after the former president was convicted on 34 felony charges in Manhattan in May, Mr. Biden criticized Mr. Trump’s efforts to question the justice system. “It’s reckless; it’s dangerous; it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict,” Mr. Biden said.
Though Mr. Trump expresses indignation at the notion of political prosecutions, he has repeatedly pushed the idea of targeting his own political enemies. During his third presidential campaign, he has regularly floated the idea of retribution against Mr. Biden and his allies.
In 2016, Mr. Trump encouraged his supporters at his rallies to chant “lock her up,” referring to his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. During his presidency, he repeatedly urged the Justice Department to investigate some people he considered foes, a push that led many to face some form of federal government pressure.
Now, Mr. Trump glosses over his history of past remarks and instead portrays himself as the victim of what he describes as an unthinkable witch hunt. At his rally in Duluth, Mr. Trump once again compared himself to the gangster Al Capone, marveling at the breadth of criminal charges that he faces.
He then returned abruptly to his claims of election interference. “Biden is behind it all, believe it or not,” Mr. Trump said. “And he proved that yesterday with his stupid statement, and people are outraged by it.”
Michael Gold is a political correspondent for The Times covering the campaigns of Donald J. Trump and other candidates in the 2024 presidential elections. More about Michael Gold
See more on: Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, U.S. Politics, 2024 Elections: News, Polls and Analysis
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Source: nytimes.com
