Trump says indictment is only driving poll numbers up in Georgia speech

Former President Trump said at a Georgia GOP convention event Saturday that his latest indictment is only driving his poll numbers up.

“It’s a horrible thing. It’s a horrible thing for this country,” Trump said of the indictment while in Columbus, Ga. “I mean, the only good thing about it is, it’s driven my poll numbers way up. Can you believe it?”

The former president also claimed that his fundraising is “through the roof.” Shortly after he was notified of the indictment Thursday, Trump sent out a message to supporters asking for donations.

“We’re really winning big,” Trump said Saturday, adding, “We’re beating the hell out of the Republicans, and we’re beating the hell out of Joe Biden. That’s why they’re doing it.”

“If I wasn’t, let me tell you, if I wasn’t, there’d be no witch hunt, there’d be no indictment,” he claimed.

Trump has been charged on 37 counts related to his handling of classified materials, according to the indictment that was unsealed Friday. During his speech in Georgia, Trump called the indictment “ridiculous” and “baseless.”

“The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration’s weaponized ‘department of injustice’ will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country,” he said. 

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More Trump indictment coverage from The Hill

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• Pence calls for Garland to publicly justify Trump indictment
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The unsealed indictment outlined the sensitive defense information contained in documents the former president took with him after leaving the White House, as well as two occasions on which he shared the materials with those who did not have proper security clearances.

It also alleged that after receiving a subpoena from the Justice Department, Trump suggested that his attorney hide or destroy the classified documents in his possession or falsely claim that he had turned over all relevant materials.