Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday kept up his attacks on special counsel Jack Smith and vowed to continue talking about his criminal cases even as prosecutors sought a protective order to limit the evidence that Trump and his team could share.
Trump was in Windham, New Hampshire, for his first campaign rally since facing a third criminal indictment last week. He delivered remarks at Windham High School during his fourth trip to the Granite State as he looks to garner more support for his 2024 presidential run.
Tuesday's rally came after he was charged with four counts for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. It also comes as a district attorney in Atlanta is building a case to hand down more charges to Trump relating to false election fraud claims he made following the 2020 election results.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
"They indicted your president — your former president — who was very popular, 75 million people," he said Tuesday to a crowd of boos.
He also assailed Smith as a “thug prosecutor” and a “deranged guy” a week after being indicted on felony charges for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump pleaded not guilty last week to felony charges of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; conspiracy against the right to vote; and obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding.
The former president, who has portrayed the investigations as politically motivated, said they are forcing him “to spend time and money away from the campaign trail in order to fight bogus made-up accusations and charges.”
“That's what they're doing. 'I'm sorry, I won't be able to go to Iowa today. I won't be able to go to New Hampshire today,'" he said. “Because I'm sitting in a courtroom on bulls***”
The crowd cheered and broke into chants of “bulls***!”
Trump smiled and shook his head while he watched the crowd chant.
“Thank you very much,” he said.
Hours before Tuesday's rally, crowds of supporters had already gathered outside Windham High School.
"I'm here to support President Trump," said Edward Xavier Young, a New Jersey man who said he has attended 60 Trump campaign rallies. "I want him to know, 'I got your back, sir. We got your back. The American people are behind you.'"
"I hope he's elected again," another person waiting outside the school said.
The former president continues to lead in the polls among Republicans, maintaining a major lead ahead of other GOP contenders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Haley and fellow Republican presidential hopefuls Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson were also scheduled to be in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
