CNN
—
Former President Donald Trump said he was “willing” to face possible prison or house arrest following his historic conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
“I’m OK with that,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News broadcast Sunday, when asked about the possibility of punishment. “I saw one of my lawyers on TV the other day saying, ‘Oh, you wouldn’t want to do that to the president,’ and I said, ‘Don’t beg for anything.’
But Mr Trump added: “I don’t think the American people can stand it. I don’t know if the American people can stand it.”
“I think it’s going to be hard for the American people to accept, but at some point there’s going to be a breaking point,” Trump said.
His comments came just days after a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of all charges in his hush-money trial, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony and the first major party presidential candidate to be convicted of a crime while campaigning for the White House.
Judge Juan Marchan has set Trump’s sentencing for July 11 at 10 a.m. ET. Marchan could sentence Trump to probation or up to four years in state prison on each count, with a maximum sentence of 20 years.
For now, the former president is out of prison while awaiting his sentence. In an interview with Fox News, he insisted he did nothing wrong and slammed the “sick” people involved in his conviction.
“I’m fighting for the Constitution,” Trump said, adding that the trial had been “tougher” on his family than it was on him. Of his wife, former first lady Melania Trump, he said, “She’s doing fine, but I think this is very hard for her. She’s doing fine. But she has to read all this crap.”
Asked about the possibility of seeking political retribution if he wins the 2024 presidential election, Trump said it would sound “great” to even succeed, but “if you look at what they’ve done, it’ll be very difficult.”
“These people are very evil, but at the same time the country can be united,” he added.
This story has been updated with additional information.
