Donald Trump delivers biting speech following arraignment – yet some skipped out

Palm Beach, Florida - Following his arraignment in New York, Donald Trump flew via his private plane to his Mar-a-Lago estate to deliver his public response on Tuesday evening. Yet some pointedly skipped out.

After being indicted and arraigned in New York on Tuesday, Donald Trump flew home to Florida to deliver a public speech in response.
After being indicted and arraigned in New York on Tuesday, Donald Trump flew home to Florida to deliver a public speech in response.  © IMAGO / USA TODAY Network

During his arraignment, Judge Juan Merchan reportedly warned Trump against making statements that carry "the potential to incite violence and civil unrest."

Despite this, Trump returned home to hit back with a provocative speech that attempted to discredit his opponents, sow doubt in the institutions and people investigating him, and play the victim.

"The only crime I have committed was to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it," he said of the New York probe, which is looking into his role in hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair they had private.

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"This is a persecution, not an investigation," he said.

While he is facing 34 felony charges of business fraud, which he maintains his innocence for and pled not guilty to, Trump continues to push the idea that it is all a part of a political "witch hunt."

"We are a nation in decline, and now these radical left lunatics want to interfere in elections by using law enforcement," he said. "We can't let this happen."

Trump took shots at New York district attorney Alvin Bragg, who is leading the investigation, describing him as a "Soros-backed prosecutor" and a "criminal." He also made an unfounded claim that Bragg had "leaked" information about the investigation to the public.

The former president didn't mention Judge Merchan by name, but did identify him as "a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family."

Surprisingly, Trump's stream of consciousness speech only lasted less than a half hour, but he managed to hit a handful of his other most predictable and repeated talking points.

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Donald Trump seemed low energy while delivering his speech in Florida, but the crowd of his supporters still ate it up.
Donald Trump seemed low energy while delivering his speech in Florida, but the crowd of his supporters still ate it up.  © IMAGO / USA TODAY Network

Donald Trump's speech seemed unrehearsed, as he rambled about and seemingly linked various subjects that also currently threaten his 2024 presidential campaign.

Some described his delivery as "low energy" as he rattled off his usual grievances, but in a more somber manner.

He accused New York and Alvin Bragg of allowing crime in the city to surge as they put focus into investigating him.

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While addressing prosecutors Letitia James of New York and Fani Willis of Georgia, who are both leading unrelated investigations into him and happen to be Black, he called them "racist" and insisted that they should "drop" their cases.

He also swung at Jack Smith, the Justice Department's special counsel looking into Trump's mishandling of classified documents and his actions during the January 6 Capitol riots, calling him "Lunatic Jack Smith" and a "bomb thrower" who is harassing his family.

"With all of this being said, and with a very dark cloud over our beloved country, I have no doubt nevertheless we will make America great again," Trump ended his speech, with questionable optimism.

News organizations refuse to air Trump's speech as Melania Trump is a no-show

Every aspect of the indictment and arraignment have been given "wall-to-wall" coverage by major news outlets.
Every aspect of the indictment and arraignment have been given "wall-to-wall" coverage by major news outlets.  © IMAGO / Cover-Images

With most mainstream news stations, such as CNN and Fox News, spending Tuesday overwhelmingly covering every aspect of the arraignment, critics have argued that the media was giving Trump exactly what he wanted: free publicity and exposure.

Others also argued that it was dangerous to air his speech on Tuesday night, as it predictably contained a slew of misinformation and fabrications.

Some major news outlets notably decided either not to cover his speech at all, or to do so with a bit more discretion than normal.

Rachel Maddow of MSNBC explained that the network would not be covering the speech because, "We don't consider that newsworthy, and there is a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things."

Mary Louise Kelly of NPR described the indictment and arraignment as "historic," but revealed the outlet didn't plan to extensively cover Trump's "showman" response.

Noticeably absent from the speech was also reportedly Trump's wife Melania.

The New York probe is just one of many legal issues that Trump faces ahead of the 2024 elections.

Cover photo: IMAGO / USA TODAY Network

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