US President Joe Biden has criticized former President Donald Trump’s comments calling his trial rigged, labeling them as “reckless” a day after Trump was historically convicted. In his first public response to the guilty verdict on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Biden defended the integrity of the US justice system.
“The American principle that no one is above the law was reaffirmed,” Biden stated regarding the trial’s outcome.
Earlier on Friday, Trump held a heated press conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan, denouncing the judge as “crooked,” labeling the trial a “sham,” and calling Democrats “thugs.”
Biden’s remarks, made at the start of a White House news conference addressing the Middle East and a new Israeli proposal for Gaza, emphasized that Trump had been given “every opportunity” to defend himself before a jury of 12 American citizens. Biden asserted that Trump had no grounds to claim the process was unfair.
“It’s reckless. It’s dangerous. It’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict,” Biden said, noting that Trump had the right to appeal the decision.
Biden, who has seldom commented publicly on Trump’s legal issues, underscored the importance of respecting the justice system, calling it the “cornerstone of America.”
“The justice system should be respected, and we should never allow anyone to tear it down. It’s as simple as that. That’s America. That’s who we are,” he concluded.
On Thursday, Donald Trump briefly addressed the public outside the court, arguing that he had been unfairly treated and that the case should have been dismissed. He criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for pursuing the charges.
“This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial,” Trump stated.
He reiterated his complaints during a Friday news conference, where he did not take questions from reporters and confirmed that his team would appeal the conviction. Trump maintained that the trial was “rigged” and described the New York case as politically motivated, calling it a “witch hunt.”
He also expressed outrage over the treatment of one of his defense witnesses, who he said was “literally crucified.” Trump warned his supporters, “if they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone.”
