Trump After Arraignment: ‘This Is Persecution of a Political Opponent’

Former President Donald J. Trump slammed President Joe Biden and accused him of “persecution of a political opponent” after he was arraigned in the second case Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) brought against him. 

Trump told reporters it “is a very sad day for America” while speaking briefly at Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, DC: 

When you look at what’s happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America. This is the persecution of the person that’s leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot. So if you can’t beat him you persecute him or you prosecute him. We can’t let this happen in America. Thank you very much.

Trump also took a shot at the state of Washington, DC, suggesting it was cleaner and in better shape when he left office.

“And it was also very sad driving through Washington, DC, and seeing the filth and the decay, and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti. This is not the place that I left. It’s a very sad thing to see it,” he said.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump boards his plane at Reagan National Airport following an arraignment in Washington, D.C. federal court on August 3, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The 45th president and leading Republican presidential candidate pleaded not guilty moments earlier to four counts alleging conspiracies to overturn the 2020 election results, including Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Conspiracy Against Rights, Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding. 

Breitbart News Senior Editor Joel Pollak suggested that the DOJ may attempt to pursue the death penalty against Trump if he is convicted of “Conspiracy of Rights.” 

This is the third indictment brought against Trump this year, with two coming at the federal level from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probes and one coming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. The other federal case alleges Trump mishandled classified documents after leaving the White House, while Bragg’s case alleges he engaged in business fraud. 

If convicted on all counts in all cases and a lethal penalty is not imposed, Trump faces a maximum of 515 years in prison, Pollak noted.