A CNN contributor said this week that the ongoing criminal trial of former President Donald Trump in New York appeared to be specifically tailored against him. The statement came as the trial continued, with the former president receiving further penalties for alleged violations of the gag order placed on him by Judge Juan Merchan.
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria said over the weekend that the ongoing criminal cases against the former president “keep him in the spotlight” and “infuriate his base.”
Zakaria said that such actions cause those who support him to “see him as a martyr and even may serve to make him the object of some sympathy among people in general who believe that his prosecutors are politically motivated.”
The host also added that in his opinion, “I doubt the New York indictment would have been brought against a defendant whose name was not Donald Trump.”
He cited a recent poll that showed 56% of Americans believed that Trump likely could not receive a fair trial.
Zakaria’s comments also came amid similar comments from the former president, who argued that the cases against him represented election interference and was intended to take him off of the campaign trail.
Trump also argued that the cases against him have been tailored to make it more likely that he is convicted.
Merchan placed a gag order on the former president, barring him from criticizing the jury, court officials or the prosecution. Despite this, the former president has adamantly argued that the current case against him is rigged and unjust.
The former president wrote that the “CRAZY BIDEN INSPIRED GAG ORDER IS JUST WHAT THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS WANTED.”
“IT IS THEIR “DREAM” BECAUSE A CROOKED AND TOTALLY CONFLICTED NEW YORK JUDGE ILLEGALLY TOOK AWAY MY FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND, ESSENTIALLY, MY RIGHT TO FREELY AND OPENLY CAMPAIGN (NOT TO MENTION THE MONEY I AM FORCED TO SPEND DEFENDING AGAINST THIS POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!). BUT WE WILL WIN AND, ONCE AGAIN, JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!” said the former president on social media.
THIS CRAZY BIDEN INSPIRED GAG ORDER IS JUST WHAT THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS WANTED. IT IS THEIR “DREAM” BECAUSE A CROOKED AND TOTALLY CONFLICTED NEW YORK JUDGE ILLEGALLY TOOK AWAY MY FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND, ESSENTIALLY, MY RIGHT TO FREELY AND OPENLY CAMPAIGN (NOT TO MENTION THE… pic.twitter.com/UoWgHUZzQf
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 11, 2024
