Donald Trump, the former president and current frontrunner in the Republican nominating contest, sharply criticized a judge's order for him to pay a $355 million penalty after being found liable of conspiring to inflate his net worth.
The legal setback came after Trump was ordered to pay $83.3 million to columnist E. Jean Carroll, who successfully sued Trump for defamation. The rulings, according to Trump, amount to political persecution, and have the potential to turn the U.S. into a "third world country."
"If this persecution of political opponents continues, no one will want to do business in the United States of America any longer," Trump said Saturday at a campaign rally in Waterford Township, Mich. "We will truly become a third world country . . . We are already, in many ways, if you look at our border. We are worse than a third world country."
The courts, however, weren't the only example of the alleged demise of the U.S. cited by Trump. As he railed against incumbent President Joe Biden, whom he baselessly claimed was being controlled by fascists, Trump also called out the country's airports.
"We're like a third world nation. Look at our airports," Trump said. "Look at our airports. I mean, how bad are the airports?"
Trump "immediately unleashed an angry tirade against the country’s legal system" and dedicated the "first 15 minutes" of his address to the issue, Politico reported.
You can watch a clip of Trump's address below via Twitter:
Trump claims that as a result of his prosecutions, "no one will want to do business in the United States any longer." pic.twitter.com/854mDu7z8f
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 18, 2024
