Trump’s lawyer suggested his client has taken his social media posts against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg too far.
While former President Donald Trump is no stranger to making controversial comments online — even leading him to be banned from social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook for a time — some of his recent posts against Bragg, who may be bringing hush-money charges against Trump, have raised concerns.
One post on Trump’s Truth Social platform featured a composite picture of the former president and the district attorney, with Trump swinging a baseball bat in Bragg’s direction. It was later taken down. But in another post, Trump referred to Bragg as an “animal,” which has been called out for racist undertones. Trump has also called those prosecuting him “human scum.”
“‘I think that was an ill-advised post.’”
— Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina
So when Meet the Press host Chuck Todd asked Joe Tacopina, the attorney representing Trump, whether he would advise a client to attack a prosecutor like Bragg in such a “dehumanizing” way online, Tacopina agreed that the post was “ill-advised.”
“I know. I’m not his social media consultant,” Tacopina said on Sunday morning. “I think that was an ill-advised post that one of his social media people put up, and he quickly took down when he realized the rhetoric and the photo that was attached to it.”
But Todd countered that while the problematic photo was taken down, much of the rest of Trump’s rhetoric is still live online. Tacopina replied that he’s, “not a Trump PR person,” and that he was, “not going to defend or condemn anything regarding social media. That’s not what I do.”
He instead argued that the case that Bragg may be bringing against Trump is “a case that would not be brought for anyone other than Donald Tump.” And he echoed many Republicans and Trump supporters in saying that the prosecution is out to “politicize and weaponize a campaign.”
So what are the charges against Trump? We still don’t know for sure. The case stems back to 2016 hush money payments made to two women who alleged they had sexual encounters with Trump, which Trump denies. A New York grand jury is investigating the payments, and whether Trump committed crimes in arranging the payments, or in the way that the Trump Organization accounted for the payments.
Read more: Why is Trump possibly getting arrested? And who is Stormy Daniels, again?
Last weekend, the former president claimed he would be arrested the following Tuesday (March 21). The date came and passed without an indictment or arrest, but Trump has used the days since urging his supporters to protest any arrest. And in a Truth Social post on Friday, he warned of “potential death & destruction in such a false charge” that “could be catastrophic for our Country” if he does get charged with a crime.
Read more: Donald Trump may be charged with a crime. Could he still run for president?
And: Who is Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan D.A. who may be set to bring charges against Donald Trump?
On Friday, a powdery substance was found with a threatening letter in a mailroom at Bragg’s offices, authorities said. Officials later determined the substance wasn’t dangerous. Bragg sent an email to staff on Friday, telling them their safety was the top priority.
“We will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, which is what each of you does every single day,” he wrote.
Democrats have called out the former president’s comments as dangerous, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calling “the twice-impeached former president’s rhetoric is reckless, reprehensible and irresponsible.” He added, “It’s dangerous, and if he keeps it up he’s going to get someone killed.”
Associated Press reporting contributed to this article.
