Former President Donald Trump showed sympathy for his co-defendants during an interview after he surrendered and was released at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday. He faces 13 charges in connection with efforts to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election result.
Trump spoke with Newsmax host Greg Kelly while airborne on the Trump Organization's Boeing 757 en route to New Jersey from Atlanta.
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“It's a very sad experience, and it's a very sad day for our country,” Trump said. “This is a weaponized Justice Department.” Trump continued to say he's "never seen anything like it.”
Trump praised his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, saying he “can handle” his indictment. The former president claimed that he “doesn't know” if he's ever met some of his co-defendants named in the indictment. Giuliani turned himself in to Fulton County authorities on Wednesday on charges of attempting to interfere with the 2020 Georgia election results alongside Trump.
“I don't even know that I've met a lot of those people, but some I do, and their lives are destroyed by these maniacs,” Trump said. “These are animals. These are vicious animals that have destroyed the lives of these people.”
When asked about the first Republican primary debate Wednesday night — which he was absent from, instead appearing in his own interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a counter-event — Trump showed appreciation for Vivek Ramaswamy. “I thought he was very good,” he said of the entrepreneur.
Trump blasted former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who once advised and supported him until the 2020 election fraud allegations, when Christie became a strong critic.
“He’s wasting room, he's wasting space, and he's wasting time,” Trump said of Christie.
Trump also took shots at Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), speaking about a clip from the debate where the Florida governor says he would have fired former chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci, saying that DeSantis “loves” him.
Praising the head of the Republican National Committee, Trump said he helped get Ronna McDaniel to the top. He urged the GOP to get rallied around election time to prevent fake ballots.
“It's wonderful whether you vote on Tuesday or whatever,” Trump said. “But the big thing is we don't want fake ballots put in – okay? That's the thing nobody ever talks about. We don't want fake ballots put in, and that's the most important thing."
He concluded by saying his co-defendants have been “unfairly dragged into this,” and they are “high-quality people.”
“They don't even know why they're brought in, and those people have to be released,” Trump said. "They have to be released from this horrible thing that they're going through. It's just a horrible thing.”
Authorities released Trump's mug shot less than an hour after he left the jail, and according to Fulton County Jail records, he spent around 20 minutes inside the facility where he was fingerprinted.
Trump’s latest legal battle follows over two years of investigation from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's office. He was released on a $200,000 bond and returned home to New Jersey following his arrest in Atlanta.
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Trump posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, around 9:40 p.m. EDT for the first time in over two years, using his mugshot to link his website and asking for donations.
"What has taken place is a travesty of justice and ELECTION INTERFERENCE. The Left wants to intimidate YOU out of voting for a political outsider who puts the American people FIRST," the campaign website reads. Trump first posted on his social media platform Truth Social while flying back home.