President Joe Biden brushed off claims by Donald Trump that the New York hush-money trial was politically-motivated and orchestrated by the White House.
‘I didn’t know I was that powerful,’ Biden quipped when asked about it.
The president also said he wasn’t worried he may end up in court one day like Trump.
‘Not at all. I didn’t do anything wrong. The system still works,’ he said.
Republicans have been trying to tie Biden to his son’s Hunter business dealings, claiming they were working together to enrich the family. Biden has said repeatedly he wasn’t involved in his son’s work.
The president, who answered a few questions from Fox News‘ Peter Doocy as he left an event celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win, also said he had ‘no idea’ if the conviction would help Trump in the election.
President Joe Biden brushed off claims by Donald Trump that the New York hush-money trial was politically-motivated and orchestrated by the White House
A new poll from DailyMail.com post-conviction show Trump had gained six points in his race against Biden.
‘The other thing – a poll came out. The first poll. Maybe others will be bad. But the poll just came out a little while ago [by] the Daily Mail. Does anybody read the Daily Mail? They have a good poll. I like it today,’ Trump said at his press conference on Friday.
‘The Daily Mail just came out with a poll and it has Trump up six points in the last 12 hours. Six points since this happened. Who thought this could happen,’ said Trump to applause among his supporters gathered at Trump Tower.
‘Because the people of our country know it’s a hoax. They know it’s a hoax. They get it. They are really smart and it’s really something.’
Earlier Friday Biden called Trump ‘reckless’ and ‘irresponsible’ in his first comments responding to the ex-president’s historic guilty hush money verdict.
He later grinned though didn’t respond when asked about Trump’s claims his Democratic opponent is making him a ‘political prisoner.’
Biden returned to Washington from Rehoboth Beach Friday to take a meeting with the Belgian prime minister and welcome to the White House the Kansas City Chiefs.
Friday morning the White House announced that the president would be addressing the situation in the Middle East, but Biden started his remarks by tackling the Trump verdict first – saying he wanted to discuss ‘what happened yesterday in New York City.’
‘The American principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed,’ Biden said.
Biden grinned though didn’t respond when asked about Trump’s claims his Democratic opponent is making him a ‘political prisoner’
‘Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself, it was a state case not a federal case and it was heard by a jury of 12 citizens, 12 Americans, 12 people like you,’ the president continued.
Biden noted that like ‘millions’ of other juries ‘this jury was chosen the same way every jury in America was chosen.’
‘There was a process that Donald Trump’s attorney was part of, the jury heard five weeks of evidence – five weeks – and after careful deliberation the jury reaced a unanimous verdict,’ Biden said.
‘They found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts,’ the president said.
The Democrat said that Trump would also be given the chance to appeal ‘just like everyone else.’
‘That’s how the American system of justice works,’ Biden said.
‘And it’s reckless, it’s dangerous, it’s irresponsble for anyone to say this was rigged, just because they don’t like the verdict,’ the president added.
Former President Donald Trump complained about the unfairness of the hush money case from Trump Tower earlier Friday
Biden pointed out how the justice system has endured for nearly 250 years and should be ‘respected.’
‘And we should never allow anyone to tear it down, it’s as simple as that,’ the president said.
‘That’s America, that’s who we are, that’s who we’ll always be,’ Biden said, adding a ‘God willing’ on the end.
Trump has pushed that the 34 felony counts are the result of a politically motivated prosecution to meddle in the 2024 election where he’ll again face Biden on the ballot.
Most of the Republican Party has sided with Trump, complaining about the unfairness of the case.