Former President Donald Trump called those pushing criminal cases against him “savages” and warned about “a level of hatred I’ve never seen” in the country, in an interview posted Wednesday just before the other major GOP presidential candidates were to debate for the first time.

He also said he expects opponents will try to steal the 2024 election from him.

“They’re going to try,” he told Tucker Carlson in an interview on X, formerly Twitter.

The host at one point ticked off the impeachments and criminal cases against Mr. Trump, and wondered whether the former president’s opponents will now “try to kill you.”

“They’re savage animals. They are people who are sick,” Mr. Trump said in a short excerpt posted to tease the full interview.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.