Donald Trump offered a strange explanation for his social media threats against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday.
Hannity asked the former president to explain two posts that sparked an uproar last week over the possibility of indictments against Trump being announced by Bragg’s office. On Thursday, Trump posted a photo of himself with a baseball bat next to a photo of Bragg with his hands up. The post was later deleted. In another post, Trump suggested a potential indictment against him by Bragg could lead to “death & destruction.”
In his rambling response, Trump apparently indicated that he had no knowledge of the photo, which was reportedly part of a linked article, when he shared it. He also seemed to be under the impression that people thought the picture actually showed him threatening Bragg with a baseball bat, explaining at length that “these are two separate pictures.”
“They took that picture from the White House and put it in and then put a picture of Alvin Bragg,” he said, after going off on a tangent about a company that makes baseball bats.
Regarding the “death & destruction” post, which still stands, Trump tried to send the message as a message of concern rather than a threat.
“I didn’t say ‘do bad things.’ I said I’m afraid of people will do something because people are so angry about it,” he said.
Donald Trump / Social Truth
Earlier this month, Trump said he expected to be arrested last Tuesday as part of Bragg’s investigation in New York, which will reportedly focus on a 2016 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels in exchange for keeping quiet about his relationship with Trump. .
Trump’s strong rhetoric since then has sometimes echoed the language he used before the January 6, 2021 uprising, with many seeing alarm that it could lead to more violence.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Calif.), for example, said Friday that Trump clearly “hasn’t learned his lesson” from the unrest in the U.S. Capitol and warned that “if he continues, he’s going to get somebody else.” killed.”