New York: a day after the judge in his New York criminal trial fined him for violating a gag order, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump heads for rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Trump’s visit to the two battleground states mark his first major campaign events since the April 15 start of the New York trial. He is accused of falsifying business records concerning a hush money payment to a porn star.
Trump, the first former U.S. president to stand trial on a criminal charge, has to schedule his signature campaign events around court proceedings that are expected to last through May.
He will address rallies in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Freeland, Michigan, on Wednesday. He is likely to speak about the gag order penalties and the pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country.
On Tuesday, Justice Juan Merchan in Manhattan fined Trump $1,000 for each of nine online statements that violated his order not to criticise witnesses. Trump is charged with falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign to silence porn star Stormy Daniels who claims they had a sexual encounter in 2006. Trump has denied this and pleaded not guilty.
Polls show Trump locked in a close race with Democratic President Joe Biden ahead of the November 5 election.
In Waukesha, Trump will talk about crime and the impact of inflation on households. He will also contrast his plans to crack down on immigration with Biden’s “weak border policies,”
Trump is also expected to address the pro-Palestinian protests, which have spread across the U.S. and taken on political overtones. Republicans accuse some university administrators of turning a blind eye to anti-Semitic rhetoric and harassment.
Last week Trump described the protests as driven by “tremendous hate.” The violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, when he was president was small by comparison, he said.
Biden’s aides have said the president supports peaceful protests but stands against violent rhetoric. They condemned antisemitism on college campuses.
Wisconsin and Michigan are among the six or seven swing states expected to determine the outcome of the election. Trump lost Wisconsin to Biden by just 20,000 votes and lost Michigan by 154,000 votes.
(REUTERS)
