In his first public appearance in Washington since the end of his term, former President Donald Trump hinted at a possible return to the White House.
The speech took place Tuesday at a meeting of the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank created to support Trump’s political agenda. The ex-president made no formal announcement to his supporters about his political ambitions, but he made it clear that he has no intention of continuing to interfere in the political direction of the country.
Trump stated that he feels compelled to remain politically involved despite the “prosecution” by the Congressional Special Committee investigating the storming of the Capitol. “They want to damage me so that I can no longer work for you. But I don’t think it will work,” he said. “If I stayed home and just take it easy, the persecution of Donald Trump would end immediately,” Trump said. “But that’s not what I’ll do. I have to save our country.”
Trump lashed out several more times at the “thugs” who are part of that commission of inquiry. He also repeated the false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. “The first time I entered, I won. And then I did it a second time, and I did much better,” he declared. “What a shame. But maybe we should do it again.” As expected, Trump criticized the current administration, citing high inflation and fuel prices, among other things.
He also focused on homeland security. “Our country and the lives of our citizens are at stake. We have no time to lose. Our country is being ravaged by crime in a way we have never seen before,” said the ex-president, who did not back his claims with figures.
Criminal investigation
Trump’s unsubstantiated outbursts come on the same day The Washington Post reports that the US Department of Justice is looking into the ins and outs of Trump. The Public Prosecution Service has targeted him for a criminal investigation into the former president’s attempts to reverse his election defeat in 2020.
According to the paper, the Justice Department has since interviewed several former White House officials, including former chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, who confirmed Monday that he had testified before a special federal jury that overturned the attack on the United States Capitol. January 6, 2021 examines and also looks at the efforts of Trump and his allies to reverse his defeat.
This new investigation is independent of the hearings of the Commission investigating the storming of the Capitol.
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