Trump Acknowledges Personal Risks During Presidential Campaign
President Trump acknowledged at an investment summit that he campaigned for his freedom as well as for the presidency, citing severe personal and legal risks had he lost the election.
President Trump stated on Wednesday that he would have experienced a "very nasty life" had he lost the presidential election, highlighting the significant legal challenges he faced that could have led to jail time.
"If I lost, it would have been very bad," Mr. Trump remarked at an investment summit in Miami, describing the situation as "dangerous, actually very dangerous."
Following his victory in November, the Justice Department discontinued the two federal cases against him, and a judge in Manhattan provided an unconditional discharge in his hush money case.
Mr. Trump revealed that he had been campaigning for his freedom just as much as for the presidency, despite not publicly acknowledging this throughout 2024.
When asked how he would spend a year if granted a sabbatical, Mr. Trump sidestepped the question, expressing honor in his role as president. Nonetheless, he asserted that it took "a certain amount of courage" to run again due to the personal risks involved.
Additionally, Mr. Trump disagreed with historians' views that Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln were the most mistreated presidents, insisting, "Nobody was treated like me." He added, "You learn a lot about yourself, but there's nothing I'd rather do."
Throughout his presidential campaign, Mr. Trump confronted numerous criminal charges across four different cases. Special Counsel Jack Smith filed charges against him in two notable cases: one concerning the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack and another related to document handling after leaving the White House in 2021. Although a Trump-appointed judge dismissed the documents case, Mr. Smith’s team is appealing the ruling.
In Georgia, Mr. Trump faced charges for attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss and was also found guilty on all counts in the hush-money case in New York, where he could have faced up to four years in prison.
Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.
