Trump attacks judges in his criminal cases before first election test: Live – The Independent

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Trump arrived in Iowa on Saturday ahead of caucuses
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Donald Trump calls New York fraud trial ‘terrible witch hunt’
Donald Trump spent the Saturday before his first major election test attacking judges in his criminal cases.
He called Judge Lewis Kaplan a “bad person” for denying a trial delay, condemned Judge Arthur Engoron’s “sarcasm” in court and branded Judge Tanya Chutkan an “Obama leftwing activist” in a re-post.
The ex-president launched his attacks on Truth Social as he made his way to frigid Iowa for Monday’s caucuses. Having cancelled the bulk of his campaign events due to weather, he held a telerally on Saturday – just as the final state poll showed him with a commanding lead.
It came on the heels of Mr Trump being ordered to payThe New York Times almost $400,000 in legal costs over a failed lawsuit he brought against the paper, three of its journalists, and his niece, Mary Trump.
The former president alleged a breach of confidentiality regarding his tax records but the case was dismissed last year.
Meanwhile, E Jean Carroll’s lawyer has warned Judge Kaplan that Mr Trump wants to “sow chaos” and create a “circus” at next week’s defamation trial, which he plans to attend.
The Independent’s John Bowden is on the ground in Iowa providing updates ahead of Monday’s caucuses.
Here is his latest dispatch:
Candidates continued their respective last-minute pushes in Iowa on Saturday and into Sunday morning, despite bitter subzero temperatures and a biting wind that left most roads in outright dangerous conditions across the state. Donald Trump cancelled events on Saturday and was due for an in-person appearance Sunday afternoon — his campaign has largely checked out of in=person events as a new NBC/DMR poll shows him leading the state by double digits. Nikki Haley. Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis all pushed ahead in person, working their respective audiences and making a final push for voters on Monday. Ms Haley picked up a weekend endorsement from anti-Trump Republican Larry Hogan, the former governor of Maryland, while Mr DeSantis saw his campaign tailed by liberal pranksters and his poll numbers dropping him into third place.
Donald Trump still leads the GOP 2024 field by a considerable margin, according a final poll ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
The survey, conducted by NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom, puts the former president at a near 30-point lead over his Republican rivals.
The Iowa Caucus, the first major political event of the year, will go ahead on Monday, as parts of the state continue to grapple with blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures,
The poll shows former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley narrowly edging Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place, although the gap is within the poll’s margin of error, according to NBC.
The poll shows Mr Trump commanding 48 per cent of the vote, with Ms Haley taking 20 per cent and Mr DeSantis on 16 per cent.
Read more from Mike Bedigan:
The survey, conducted by NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom, puts the former president at a near 30-point lead over his Republican rivals
Donald Trump touched down in Iowa on Saturday night – appearing ill-dressed for the frigid weather.
“It’s a lot of cold weather,” the ex-president remarked before saying he has “a lot meetings” tonight and slipping past reporters.
Donald Trump has hosted massive rallies in Iowa, speaking to hundreds and sometimes thousands of people at once. If fewer than 400 attended, it was considered a small event.
The ex-president looks likely to win Monday’s contest handily having done very little, if any, of the small-scale campaigning that used to be required to win. Iowa is no longer universally seen as the stepping stone it once was.
Eric Garcia and Gustaf Kilander explain how Mr Trump upended the state’s caucus system:
Eric Garcia and Gustaf Kilander look into if the Iowa caucuses has lost the qualities that gave the state its outsized role in American presidential politics in the first place
The White House has responded to Donald Trump’s claim that there will be “bedlam” in the US if criminal cases deny him returning as president. Speaking to The Independent White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg, Karine Jean-Pierre said: “President Biden has always been absolutely clear. When it comes to this, political violence has no place whatsoever in America…. Failing to condemn or discourage criminal violence, especially after dangerous conspiracies and violent rhetoric, [has] cost law enforcement officers their lives. “If you are a leader in this country, you need to put this country first. You need to put the safety of the American people first.”
In a typical presidential election year, candidates will spend the 11 months leading up to election day shaking hands and kissing babies at rallies as the primaries unfold.
But nothing is typical when it comes to Donald Trump.
Instead, the ex-president will be forced to juggle his campaign for the White House while also defending himself in federal and state courts in four different trials that are currently set to occur between January and May.
Kicking off with E Jean Carroll’s damages trial on the same day as the Iowa caucus to his federal classified documents trial one month before the GOP convention, Mr Trump’s jam-packed schedule seemingly leaves little time for him to socialise outside of a courtroom.
How Mr Trump will manage his campaign while convincing voters he’s innocent of it all – including alleged efforts to overturn previous elections in his favour – remains to be seen.
Three criminal trials, one civil trial, and 50 primaries all within 11 months. How will Donald Trump manage a presidential campaign and his many legal trials in one year? Ariana Baio breaks it down
Donald Trump must pay The New York Times and three of its reporters nearly $400,000 for their legal fees after his failed lawsuit against them, according to a judge’s order on Thursday.
The former president’s lawsuit against the newspaper and its reporters as well as his niece Mary Trump accused them of an “insidious plot” fuelled by a “personal vendetta” to improperly obtain tax records for a series of stories published in 2018.
Last year, New York County Supreme Court Judge Robert R Reed dismissed the case against the newspaper, finding that the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation was clearly protected by the First Amendment.
Alex Woodward reports:
A judge dismissed his lawsuit against the newspaper last year after finding its investigation into tax filing was protected by the First Amendment
Donald Trump claimed that he has already decided on his vice presidential pick as he dodged the latest GOP presidential debate to take part in a Fox News town hall.
The former president appeared on stage in Des Moines on Wednesday night for an event to rival the CNN Republican presidential primary debate between fellow candidates Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis.
During the town hall, Mr Trump hinted that he has made his mind up about who to tap to be his running mate – but refused to spill the details to hosts Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier.
Read the full article…
Iowa Republican Gov Kim Reynolds has been using an X account — unassociated with her official position — to roast former president Donald Trump.
Ms Reynolds, who has endorsed Florida Gov Ron DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination, has been using @Kimberl26890376 to rag on Mr Trump in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses.
The New York Times first reported the existence of the burner account, which has since been taken down. The Independent has reached out to Ms Reynolds’ office.
Kelly Rissman reports:
The account had less than 300 followers before it was taken down
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Donald Trump leaving 40 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan on 11 January 2024
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