黑料社

Donald Trump to address supporters after $355 million fraud ruling

Former U.S. President Trump attends a hearing on a criminal case linked to a hush money payment, in New York City

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures on the day of a court hearing on charges of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star before the 2016 election, in New York State Supreme Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., February 15, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

MT. PLEASANT, Mich./COLUMBIA, SC. 鈥 Donald Trump will address supporters at a campaign rally on Saturday for the first time since a New York judge ruled he must pay $354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders.

The former president, set to appear at an election rally in Michigan, was scheduled to speak at the same time as Nikki Haley, his last remaining rival for the Republican presidential nomination, who was due to hold an event in South Carolina.

READ: Trump fined $354.9 M, barred from NY business for 3 years

On Saturday morning, Haley wasted no time in going after Trump after Friday鈥檚 ruling, which handed him another legal setback in a civil case that imperils his real estate empire.

Trump also faces four state and federal criminal trials, including one scheduled to start in New York on March 25, over alleged hush money payments to a porn star. That means Trump will become the first former U.S. president to stand trial on criminal charges.

Haley frequently says 鈥渃haos鈥 follows Trump, and that he can鈥檛 be an effective president or candidate because of his myriad legal problems.

鈥淗e鈥檚 going to be in court March and April. He鈥檚 going to be in court May and June. He said himself that he鈥檚 going to be spending more time in a courtroom than he is on the campaign trail,鈥 Haley told Fox 黑料社.

READ: Trump鈥檚 New York hush-money trial starts March 25

Trump reacted furiously to Friday鈥檚 ruling in posts on his social media platform, after Justice Arthur Engoron also banned Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation for three years.

New York Attorney General Letitia James had accused Trump and his family businesses of overstating his net worth by as much $3.6 billion a year over a decade to fool bankers into giving him better loan terms.

In posts on his social media platform, Trump called Engoron 鈥渃rooked,鈥 James 鈥渃orrupt,鈥 and the case against him 鈥淓LECTION INTERFERENCE鈥 and a 鈥淲ITCH HUNT.鈥

Trump is close to clinching the Republican presidential nomination, and the prospect of a likely general election rematch with Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden, after recent nominating contest wins in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

Before his rally in Michigan, which holds Republican nominating contests on Feb. 27 and March 2, Trump appeared at a convention for sneaker fans in Philadelphia, where he launched his own sneaker brand 鈥 gold-topped with American flag logos.

鈥淚鈥檝e wanted to do this a long time,鈥 Trump said, before urging young people to vote.

Haley, who has no clear path to the Republican nomination, has refused to quit. She is making a potential last stand in her home state of South Carolina, which holds its primary on Feb. 24, where she trails badly in opinion polls behind Trump.

On Friday, Haley also attacked Trump for his failure to comment on the death of Alexei Navalny, Russia鈥檚 most prominent opposition leader.

Russia鈥檚 prison service said that Navalny, 47, died on Friday at the 鈥淧olar Wolf鈥 Arctic penal colony. The West, including Biden, blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the death. Western leaders did not cite evidence.

Haley has accused Trump of cozying up to Putin and other authoritarian leaders.

鈥淎nybody that can鈥檛 call out a dictator, that鈥檚 a problem,鈥 Haley told CNN on Friday.

Read more...