Former President Donald Trump on Saturday accused Democrats of interfering with the 2024 presidential election and called the two indictments he received a “great badge of courage” during a speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s event in Washington.
Trump claimed that authorities are investigating and charging him in an attempt to derail his presidential run in 2024. He said he was targeted because of his strong poll numbers and lead over leading Democratic candidate, President Joe Biden.
“Joe Biden has weaponized law enforcement to interfere in our elections,” Trump said, describing it as “the greatest abuse of power” in the country’s history.
“Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxists, Communists, and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of courage,” he told supporters.
Trump claimed the interference was a far greater scandal than Watergate.
Two weeks ago, the former president was charged with 37 felony counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents. And early this year, he was also charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a Manhattan criminal court. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both unprecedented cases.
Additional charges could be filed against the former president as a result of ongoing investigations in Georgia and Washington, both of which are related to Trump’s challenge of the 2020 election results.
Trump is the current frontrunner for the Republican nomination. And he holds a slight lead over Biden, according to the RealClear Politics average.
The Faith and Freedom Coalition event is billed as one of the largest gatherings of Christian conservative activists advocating for a pro-family majority.
This year’s meeting featured several other 2024 Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and radio host Larry Elder.