Trump spews xenophobic conspiracy at Bronx rally that China is building migrant sleeper cell army: Latest updates – The Independent

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During his latest campaign event in Crotona Park, South Bronx, the former president said he was ‘thrilled’ to be back campaigning in New York City
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Donald Trump has angrily posted that the “lamestream network media” refused to cover his “BIG, IMPORTANT” and “STARTLING” rally in the Bronx on Thursday, despite it being covered by almost all news outlets.
During his remarks at the rally — his first in New York state for eight years — he made the extraordinary claim that China is building a migrant sleeper cell army within the US. The Republican presidential candidate also told the crowd at Crotona Park in the South Bronx: “If a New Yorker can’t save this country, no one can.”
Mr Trump declared he was “thrilled” to be back campaigning in the city, which he modestly claimed to have “helped build”.
He also promised a major mass deportation operation should he regain the Oval Office, pledged to indemnify police officers against prosecution, and praised Hungary’s “strongman” Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
It comes after another big week for the former president in the courts.
Manhattan prosecutors and defense attorneys rested their cases in his high-profile hush money trial ahead of closing arguments on Tuesday while a Florida pre-trial hearing into the classified documents against him collapsed into a chaotic shouting match.
After weeks of at times bombshell testimony, the fate of Donald Trump will soon be in the hands of the 12 New Yorkers chosen to sit on the jury in his first criminal trial.
Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records over a $130,000 hush money payment, which was designed to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election about an alleged affair she had with Mr Trump in 2006.
Prosecutors allege that Mr Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen made the initial payment on behalf of his boss and Mr Trump then reimbursed him in a series of payments that were falsely labeled as “legal expenses” for a retainer that did not exist.
Mr Trump denies the charges and the sexual encounter with Ms Daniels.
Throughout the trial, the panel of jurors heard from a string of witnesses connected to the allegations, including both Ms Daniels and Cohen. Meanwhile, Mr Trump chose not to testify – despite toying with the idea for weeks.
The jury will get the case in the coming days after hearing closing arguments from both sides on Tuesday.
So what will the 12 jurors be looking at as they weigh the verdict and decide whether to make history and convict a former US president on criminal charges?
The Independent speaks to legal experts to find out:
Legal experts tell Gustaf Kilander what the 12 jurors will be looking at as they decide whether to make history and convict a former US president on criminal charges
Ariana Baio of The Independent breaks down who’s who in the trial:
From an adult film actress and a Playboy model to a supermarket tabloid publisher – by way of a lawyer-turned-felon – the cast of characters in the first-ever criminal trial of a former president could not have been more colorful. Ariana Baio reports
A string of famous faces have found themselves unwittingly dragged into Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial.
In courtroom testimony poured over by much of America, prosecution witnesses name-dropped celebrities from sports stars Serena Williams and Tiger Woods to Hollywood elite Mark Wahlberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to ensure her silence about an alleged sexual encounter she claims she had with Mr Trump in 2006 ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The defendant denies both the affair and any wrongdoing, pleading not guilty to all of the charges against him.
None of the celebrities named are accused of any wrongdoing in connection to the case.
Here’s a look at some of the famous faces who have unexpectedly been mentioned in trial testimony:
Tabloid publisher David Pecker and attorney Keith Davidson both dropped some high-profile names on the stand during the former president’s trial
Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is approaching its final phase, with the 12-person jury soon set to determine the former president’s fate.
This trial has brought a parade of intriguing figures to New York, both inside and out of the courtroom — from the trial witnesses such as porn star Stormy Daniels and Mr Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen to surprise visits from MAGA loyalists, including Colorado Rep Lauren Boebert and House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The Independent has been covering the historic trial live from the courthouse each day.
Ahead of closing arguments, senior reporter Alex Woodward and general news reporter Ariana Baio held a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” forum to answer your questions about the case:
The Independent has been covering the former president’s criminal trial every day from the Manhattan courthouse. We answered your questions about the case during a Reddit Ask Me Anything forum
The former president didn’t elaborate on the meaning behind the peculiar anecdote, telling the crowd: “I’ll explain it to you someday.”
Huh?
Joe Sommerlad tries to make sense of it all…
Former president held a rally in Crotona Park in the South Bronx as his hush money trial nears the end
Donald Trump was met with chants of “build the wall” on Thursday evening as he rehashed his anti-immigrant rhetoric during a campaign rally in the Bronx.
Speaking in Crotona Park in the South Bronx – a Democratic stronghold with a large Hispanic and Black population – the former president baselessly sought to paint migrants from China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other nations as a threat to the United States.
In a particularly xenophobic moment, he baselessly claimed that migrants are “building an army” to attack the US from inside its borders.
Gustaf Kilander reports:
Former president baselessly claimed that migrants are ‘building an army’ to attack the US from inside its borders
Veepstakes: New frontrunner emerges to be Trump running mate — it’s not who you’d think…
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC:
Former president Donald Trump is reportedly considering Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton to be the Republican nominee for vice president in this year’s general election, a move that could outrage some Democrats but would bring an experienced, low-drama personality onto the GOP ticket.
According to The New York Times, Mr Trump began discussing Mr Cotton as a vice presidential contender in recent weeks, adding to a mix of candidates that include three other Republicans from the upper chamber: Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Ohio’s JD Vance.
Read on…
Arkansas senator sparked outrage by calling on Mr Trump to deploy troops against civil rights protesters
He really did ask the crowd at his Bronx rally this.
James Liddell has the story:
Donald Trump said he was as ‘hot as a pistol’ prior to taking the White House at Thursday’s South Bronx rally
With the jury set to begin its deliberations in a matter of days, Mr Trump could soon learn his fate.
If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison on each of the 34 Class E felony counts.
But what would his imprisonment look like?
James Liddell reports:
Imprisoning a former president would involve major planning, including a workaround for his Secret Service detail, as well as accommodations for where he might be held and what he might eat and wear
Amelia Neath reports:
Stephen Colbert has taken a swipe at Donald Trump over his aide carrying around a portable printer to quickly provide him with hard copies of flattering news articles about himself outside his hush money trial.
Throughout his trial – with the former president denying all charges – Mr Trump has spoken to reporters outside the courthouse, often been armed with a stack of print-outs in hand to aid his remarks.
On Thursday’s Late Show, Colbert asks his audience if they know about “those weird pieces of paper that Donald Trump always carries around and reads flattering quotes about him from?”
Read on…
‘I think it’s pathetic that it’s somebody’s entire job to provide the big man with… compliments,’ Late Night host says
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Former President Donald Trump dances after a campaign rally in the south Bronx
AP
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