Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, called their legal fight in Manhattan an “all-out war.” He said Trump would surrender if indicted, but would be “loud and proud” when he did. Tacopina’s fight words come after Trump on Saturday called on people to protest if he was arrested. Something is loading.
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Trump attorney Joe Tacopina had fighting words for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Monday.
“At this point it’s all out war,” Tacopina told podcast host Kimberly Guilfoyle – who is also the fiancée of Donald Trump Jr. “Donald Trump is the toughest human being I’ve ever had. never met. Most people crumble under allegations like this, and with the pressure it comes under from political opponents who militarize the justice system.”
Tacopina said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team “would be very sorry” if they brought charges against Trump.
Tacopina also echoed his own comments from Friday, saying his client would turn himself in if charged. But the picture Tacopina painted of a potential Trump surrender did not include assurances that Trump will go quietly.
“They want him at 100 Center Street? He’ll be there, loud and proud,” Tacopina said, referring to the Manhattan courthouse. “And there’s no one who’s going to shake him. But again, let’s see where they go, let’s see what the process is. It’s brand new for everybody, in the history of this country.”
Tacopina’s choice of the words “total war” comes after Trump called on his supporters to protest on Saturday.
Trump claimed without justification or evidence that he would be arrested in New York on Tuesday, and called on his supporters to come out in force to “PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!”
“PROTEST, TAKE BACK OUR NATION!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, echoing his rhetoric before the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
In January 2021, Trump was impeached for a second time after a Democratic-led House accused him of inciting an insurrection. Trump has always denied being responsible for inciting violence. He also claimed in January 2021 that his speech before the Capitol Riot — where he called on his supporters to “fight like hell” to take back their country — was “totally appropriate.”
An indictment is now imminent against Trump in New York for more than $130,000 in silent payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels says she had an affair with Trump in 2006. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer-turned-sworn enemy, says he paid Daniels – at Trump’s direction – to keep quiet about the case before the 2016 elections.
Bragg is currently investigating whether Trump’s payments to Daniels were an illegal campaign expense and whether they violate New York’s election and documentary laws. Trump denied having an affair with Daniels and claimed he never paid her $130,000 to keep the relationship quiet.
A grand jury is currently hearing testimony from its final witnesses.
If Trump is arrested in New York, he will have to take a photo ID and undergo a DNA sample. He will be accompanied by Secret Service agents throughout the journey.
Trump has already launched a series of preemptive attacks on Bragg. He and his team have sent several Truth Social messages and emails over the past week attacking Bragg and spreading unsubstantiated rumors about the prosecutor.
Bragg privately assured his employees that they would be protected from threats against the district attorney’s office amid calls for protests from Trump.
“Our law enforcement partners will ensure that any specific or credible threats against the office are fully investigated and that the appropriate safeguards are in place so that the 1,600 of us have a safe work environment for all of us,” Bragg wrote to his employees on Saturday, per Politico.
Tacopina did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.