As he left his third arraignment of the year Thursday, former President Donald Trump was given fairly simple instructions by U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya.
She told him not to “intimidate a witness or attempt to retaliate against anyone who might provide testimony,” according to USA Today. However, Trump appeared to disregard this by Friday afternoon, when he posted “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” on Truth Social.
Trump’s third indictment is related to his unfounded claims of election fraud regarding the 2020 election, which he lost to current President Joe Biden. He has been charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding, though he pleaded not guilty to the accusations.
Earlier this year, Trump was indicted on charges related to an alleged hush money scheme and again on charges related to his handling of classified government documents after leaving office. He has pleaded not guilty in all cases. In addition to these indictments, a jury also found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation this year.
While some of these legal issues threated to disqualify Trump from running, the 2024 presidential candidates fundraising efforts only seem to be boosted by the indictments. For example, he claimed to raise nearly $7 million within a week of his second indictment.
POLITICO reported this week that the power of the indictments as fundraising motivators may be waning with each new announcement, citing Federal Election Commission data. Still, Trump has managed to keep a strong hold over GOP voters, according to results from a recent poll from The New York Times and Siena College.
When zooming out from the GOP to the electorate at large, it appears that Americans are taking the latest allegations against Trump seriously. According to an ABC/Ipsos poll, 65% of the U.S. believes the charges are serious.
Though she did give him conditions of release, Upadhyaya allowed to leave his arraignment in Washington D.C. this week without travel restrictions or a cash bond, per USA Today. He was in Alabama for a fundraiser.
“They want to take away MY freedom because I will never let them take away YOUR freedom...They want to silence me, because I will never let them silence you. In the end, they’re not after me, they’re after you—and I’m just standing in their way,” he said during the event.
According to POLITICO, federal prosecutors have already called attention to Trump’s “I’m coming after you” post.
“Attorneys from special counsel Jack Smith’s team said the post from Trump ‘specifically or by implication’ referenced those involved in his criminal case for seeking to subvert the 2020 election,” said the report.
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