Trump Criticizes Legal Battles, Lawyers, and the Election Post-Court Appearance

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump took the opportunity on Friday to reclaim attention amid his ongoing legal challenges and a crowded campaign calendar. In a spontaneous press conference held in the lobby of Trump Tower, he voiced frustration over the state of his appeal in a sexual abuse and defamation case and criticized his legal team’s efforts.

During the event, Trump expressed anger toward the moderators of an upcoming ABC debate, branding them as unfair. He also accused Vice President Kamala Harris of not engaging with the media as frequently as he does.

“This is a disgraceful case, especially considering it’s about a former president of the United States who is currently leading in the polls to regain that office,” Trump stated, as he revisited explicit details of the sexual assault allegations he has consistently denied.

“I feel sad,” he continued, “that I have to come up here and explain it.”

Although he had planned to address the latest jobs report, which revealed weaker-than-expected job growth, he only spent a brief moment on this topic after an extensive 45-minute address. He primarily focused on the various civil and criminal cases against him, which have generated support from his Republican allies and mobilized voters in his favor. His campaign has also been actively leveraging his legal troubles for fundraising.

“This is a long and complicated web of stories that goes back to the DOJ, Kamala, Sleepy Joe, and all the rest of them. We have a totally rigged election system,” Trump asserted. “We had a trial today. It’s an appeal against a ridiculous verdict concerning a woman I have never met.”

With his lawyers by his side, Trump showed visible agitation as he recounted his court appearance earlier in the day, expressing disappointment with his legal representation. His legal team had sought a federal appeals court to overturn a $5 million verdict that found him liable for sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll, a writer who has accused him of these crimes. Trump continues to deny the allegations.

“I have all this legal talent, but legal talent cannot overcome rigged judges or a 4 percent Republican area. I’m disappointed in my legal talent, I’ll be honest with you,” he remarked. “They are good people, talented people, but during the trial today, they didn’t mention the dress. A dress similar to Monica Lewinsky’s was a significant part of the trial. I asked them, ‘why didn’t you mention that?'”

As he concluded his remarks, Trump received word that his sentencing in a separate criminal hush-money case would be postponed until after the upcoming election. Later that afternoon, he planned to address police officers in North Carolina, a state where his support has lessened since Harris has taken the spotlight.

His speech, although labeled as a “press conference,” was strikingly lengthy and meandering, and he did not entertain questions from reporters. This event marked yet another attempt by Trump to regain focus in the race and divert attention back to himself from Harris, who has enjoyed favorable polling and large, enthusiastic crowds despite largely avoiding the media.

Whereas Harris and her running mate Tim Walz conducted a single interview last week, Trump has engaged in numerous interviews with both conservative and mainstream media. His running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, has also been active in taking questions from reporters during campaign events.

During the press event on Friday, two of Trump’s lawyers, Will Scharf and Alina Habba, addressed the audience, urging supporters to rally behind Trump. “You must vote Donald Trump back in,” Habba implored. “The DOJ is here to help our country, not to attack us because you cannot win in the polls.”

Trump also took time to criticize two women, Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who provided testimony against him in the Carroll case. Looking down at handwritten notes, he disputed Leeds’ claims that he had assaulted her on an airplane in the 1970s, emphasizing that he was already a well-known figure at that time and asserting that the incident couldn’t have occurred.

“What are the chances of that happening?” he questioned, insisting, “It couldn’t have happened; it didn’t happen, and she wouldn’t have been the chosen one.”

He concluded by stating, “She has been telling this story for years, and it’s a total lie. I assume she will sue me for defamation, just like E. Jean Carroll.”