Trump accuses Biden and his supporters of attempting to ruin American democracy with “thugs, misfits, and Marxists.”

Former President Donald Trump has accused President Joe Biden and his band of “thugs, misfits, and Marxists” of orchestrating his arrest on Tuesday, calling it the pinnacle of an “evil and heinous abuse of power” by a sitting president.

Trump, who is the leading challenger for the 2024 presidency, denounced his indictment while delivering remarks from Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, hours after his arraignment.

“Today, we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country—a very sad thing to watch,” Trump told a crowd of his supporters. “A corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges, of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty, right in the middle of a presidential election, in which he’s losing very badly.”

Trump vehemently criticized Special Counsel Jack Smith as a “deranged lunatic” and accused Biden of orchestrating the arrest and charges against him. He framed Smith’s indictments as amounting to election interference and as evidence of a politically motivated persecution by his mar-a-lago-raid/” title=”Josh Hawley Calls For AG Garland’s Impeachment After Mar-a-Lago Raid”>chief political opponent, reminiscent of totalitarian regimes.

Smith was appointed special counsel shortly after Trump announced his presidential candidacy in November last year.

“He does political hit jobs … He looks like a thug,” Trump said, going on to call Smith a “raging and uncontrolled Trump hater.”

Trump also highlighted the special counsel’s infringement upon attorney-client privilege by acquiring the notes from his attorney, M. Evan Corcoran.

“What they did to lawyers, what they have done to our lawyers, our lawyers, all of our lawyers, they’ve done things that were absolutely horrible and unthinkable,” Trump said.

Trump described the charges he faces as being part of “yet another attempt to rig and steal a presidential election.” Trump has maintained his claim that the 2020 elections were stolen, a narrative expected to feature in his 2024 campaign.

“This day will go down in infamy, and Joe Biden will forever be remembered as not only the most corrupt president in the history of our country, but, perhaps even more importantly, the president who, together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits, and Marxists tried to destroy American democracy,” Trump said.

“But they will fail, and we will win bigger and better than ever before,” he declared to an enthusiastic crowd of his supporters.

Indictment

Trump made his remarks hours after he entered a plea of not guilty in a Miami federal court. He faces 37 felony charges related to the alleged improper possession of classified records at Mar-a-Lago.

The indictment alleges that Trump unlawfully retained 31 government documents, including top-secret information related to defense capabilities, nuclear programs, and potential vulnerabilities. The indictment includes six counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing documents, and false statements.

It also accuses Trump of twice sharing classified documents in 2021, possibly violating the federal Espionage Act. If convicted, he could face penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

Trump, who has steadfastly maintained his innocence and called the charges a “witch hunt,” defended himself, saying his case should fall under the Presidential Records Act.

Democrats and