In First Rally Since Being Hit With Expanded Charges, Trump Calls On GOP Challengers To Drop Out

In his first rally since facing a superseding indictment in the federal case over his handling of sensitive documents, former President Donald Trump called on other Republican 2024 presidential candidates to drop out of the race.

Addressing a crowd in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night, Trump said, “Every dollar spent attacking me by Republicans is a dollar given straight to” President Joe Biden‘s re-election campaign.

He repeatedly named Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, mocking him as “DeSanctis” as he claimed those running for the GOP nomination are “wasting hundreds of millions of dollars that Republicans should be using to build a massive vote-gathering operation.”

The rally took place days after special counsel Jack Smith unveiled a superseding indictment against Trump, adding charges of willful retention of national defense information and obstruction. Prosecutors accused Trump and aides of asking an employee of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to delete security camera footage so evidence could not be provided to a federal grand jury.

Trump, who pleaded not guilty to the 37 federal counts he previously faced in the documents case, contended that the charges are a continuation of a “witch hunt” against him and his supporters.

“They’re not indicting me; they’re indicting you. I just happen to be standing in the way,” he said.

The legal jeopardy Trump faces extends beyond the documents case. He may also face charges stemming from Smith’s inquiry into efforts geared toward fighting the outcome of the 2020 election. Trump also faces state-level charges in the New York hush-money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Charges in a 2020 election-focused inquiry in Georgia may soon follow.

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Despite the myriad of criminal investigations and indictments, Trump remains the GOP frontrunner. DeSantis, the former president’s most significant threat for the nomination, is polling in second place, with everyone else trailing far behind.

At his Pennsylvania rally, Trump claimed that Biden “is compromised,” pointing to allegations of corruption related to the First Family’s foreign business dealings, and said Congress should “should refuse to authorize a single additional payment of our depleted stockpiles” to Ukraine for its fights against Russian invaders.

Turning to the primaries, Trump said the “biggest complaint” he gets has to do with Republicans not doing enough to act on allegations of corruption against Democrats. He called for them to be voted out of office.

“Any Republican that doesn’t act on Democrat fraud should be immediately primaried and get out,” Trump said, adding that he would offer endorsements to “tough” GOP challengers.