Trump says he is 'a completely innocent person,' calls indictment 'unthinkable'


Former President Donald Trump reacted to becoming the first ex-president in U.S. history to be indicted by going on his social media platform Truth Social and blasting the "Thugs and Radical Left Monsters" he said are responsible.
In all caps, Trump asserted that "THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE ... A NATION IN SERIOUS DECLINE. SO SAD!" In a separate statement, Trump called the Manhattan district attorney's investigation "political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history." He accused Democrats of continuously trying to "Get Trump," adding, "now they've done the unthinkable. Indicting a completely innocent person."
Trump's adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, also commented, with Trump Jr. stating on his podcast that "this is stuff that would make Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, it would make them blush." On Twitter, his brother accused the Manhattan District Attorney's office of "third world prosecutorial misconduct."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The specific charges against Trump are not yet known. A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said Trump's attorney was contacted on Thursday afternoon to coordinate the former president's surrender to the DA's office for arraignment on the indictment, which remains under seal. Chris Kise, Trump's lawyer, called the indictment "the lowest point in history for our criminal justice system," and accused the district attorney of trying to "cash in on the Trump brand."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Bibi's back: what will Netanyahu do next?
Today's Big Question Riding high after a series of military victories, Israel's PM could push for peace in Gaza – or secure his own position with snap election
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders