Former President Donald Trump warned there could be “potential death and destruction” if he’s charged with a crime over hush money paid to adult actor Stormy Daniels.
Trump made the claim on his social media site Truth Social early Friday.
In a two-part, all-caps screed posted to the site days earlier, Trump claimed he would be arrested on Tuesday, and called on his supporters to “PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!”
Trump was not arrested Tuesday, and on Thursday, multiple media outlets reported the Manhattan grand jury hearing his case would not meet again until next week.
Both of Trump’s Truth Social posts were interpreted by some as potential calls for violence. The former president repeatedly posted about the situation throughout the week, at one point claiming “the whole Country sees what is going on, and they’re not going to take it anymore.”
Earlier this month, the New York Times reported the Manhattan District Attorney offered Trump a chance to testify in the case, which concerns payments made to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election by Trump’s then-attorney Michael Cohen.
Trump’s current attorney, Joe Tacopina, has said the former president will willingly surrender to authorities if he’s indicted.