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Amid Donald Trump's continuous legal troubles, the former president threatened to turn the tables on President Joe Biden should he return to the White House next year.
Trump has been facing a wave of legal scrutiny at both the state and federal levels. The former president was sued by New York Attorney General Letitia James and indicted in four separate cases: two brought by special counsel Jack Smith, one by the Manhattan district attorney, and another from prosecutors in Georgia. He has denied wrongdoing in all cases.
The $250 million civil fraud trial stems from a lawsuit James filed in 2022 alleging that Trump and top executives at the Trump Organization conspired to increase his net worth by billions of dollars on financial statements provided to banks and insurers in order to make deals and secure loans.
Before proceedings continued on Wednesday in the civil fraud trial, the former president took aim at Biden on Truth Social by calling him "the most corrupt and incompetent president" and seemingly threatened the president with a trial of his own.
"This is a RIGGED TRIAL, right out of a Banana Republic, but sadly, it gives the Republicans the right to do the same thing when we assume office...And remember, Crooked Joe Biden is the most CORRUPT (and Incompetent!) President in the history of the U.S., VERY FERTILE GROUND THERE, but very bad for our Country! This unfair political Witch Hunt is causing companies to leave New York at a record pace. They don't want this to happen to them!" Trump wrote.
Newsweek reached out to Biden and Trump via email for comment.
Kevin McCarthy, then the House speaker, announced an impeachment inquiry into President Biden over his family's business dealings last month.
The White House has continued to deny all allegations against Biden, stating, during September's first hearing of the impeachment, that nothing can distract from the Republicans' inability to govern as the shutdown loomed. Spokesperson Sharon Yang called the hearing a "baseless stunt" and said the president will "stay focused on the priorities of the American people—not these political games."
This comes amid concerns in the GOP over who will take on the position as House speaker after Jim Jordan of Ohio failed to obtain the 217 votes needed after three rounds of voting last week, followed by Tom Emmer's nomination win and subsequent dropped bid on Tuesday.
The issue of finding a new speaker is rapidly becoming more pressing, as without an elected speaker, the House is rendered unable to work effectively. This is particularly concerning given that Congress faces the looming possibility of a government shutdown next month.
About the writer
Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more