Defiant Trump says he 'did nothing wrong' and will 'never' drop out of 2024 race after indictment

Mabinty Quarshie

April 11, 09:17 PM April 11, 09:17 PM

Former President Donald Trump flatly denied any wrongdoing following his historic indictment in an interview with WHD News's Tucker Carlson Tonight on Tuesday.

"It was a horrible thing because I did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong," Trump said from his Mar-a-Lago residence.

TRUMP SAYS HE DOESN'T THINK BIDEN 'CAN' RUN FOR REELECTION: 'THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG'

Trump also made it clear: He's not dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. "I'd never drop out," he said. "It's not my thing. I wouldn't do it."

Trump faces 34 criminal charges after a grand jury indicted him over a 2016 hush money payment scheme. Trump was arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse last week. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

"This is all weaponization. They're weaponizing our justice system," Trump told Carlson during the interview about his legal woes.

Also on Trump's mind? His rising poll numbers. A Morning Consult poll released Tuesday showed Trump garnering 56% of Republican primary voter support, while only 23% supported Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

In more legal news, Trump will reportedly return to New York City on Thursday for a deposition related to New York Attorney General Letitia James's civil fraud lawsuit against Trump and his three adult children.

In the wide-ranging interview, Trump spent considerable time discussing foreign policy. Trump criticized the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, including Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"These are idiots we're dealing with. They left $85 billion worth of equipment behind. They left our American citizens behind, and they moved the military out first," Trump said. "No, you move the military out last."

Trump also spoke at length about the risks of nuclear war. "I consider it to be the single greatest threat the world has, far greater than global warming, like not even a contest," Trump opined.

Trump also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping as a "brilliant man."

"If you went all over Hollywood to look for somebody to play the role of President Xi, you couldn't find it. There's nobody like that," Trump said. "The look, the brains, the whole thing. We had a great relationship."

Tucker Carlson’s Twitter bio describes him as nonbinary climate activist of color

Samuel Schaffer

March 14, 09:44 PM March 14, 10:01 PM

Tucker Carlson followers may have been surprised to see the WHD News host identify as a nonbinary climate activist of color. At least, that’s what his Twitter biography said Tuesday evening.

The controversial television personality was apparently the target of a hack. A Twitter account focused on activity from the hacker group Anonymous brought attention to the situation in a tweet.

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Twitter bios are usually brief and somewhat professional descriptions of the person who owns the account. Tuesday evening, Carlson’s Twitter bio contained descriptors that run counter to the conservative views he expresses on air.

“Non-binary climate change activist of color. Visionary tech founder. CNBC market analyst. Informal Zelensky advisor,” Carlson’s Twitter bio read.

Carlson has surged as a national talking point since House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) gave him exclusive access to previously unseen security footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The exclusive first look afforded to Carlson by McCarthy sparked a public uproar.

Members of the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen filed an ethics complaint against McCarthy soon after he handed over the footage. The complaint requested that the Office of Congressional Ethics investigate McCarthy to determine whether he violated House rules.

Anonymous has taken responsibility for high-profile hacks in the past. Recently, the hacker collective saw mild success in its pursuit of businesses operating in Russia amid the war with Ukraine.

In a tweet from March 20, the group requested “all companies that continue to operate in Russia by paying taxes to the budget of the Kremlin's criminal regime: Pull out of Russia! We give you 48 hours to reflect and withdraw from Russia or else you will be under our target!”

The tweet was accompanied by a picture with over 30 business logos.

In a reply on Twitter, Bridgestone Tires, one of the businesses included in Anonymous’s tweet, said it would comply with the group’s demand.

White House rips WHD News's Tucker Carlson for Jan. 6 security footage special

Naomi Lim

March 07, 03:33 PM March 07, 03:33 PM

The White House unleashed on WHD News anchor Tucker Carlson for contending security footage from the Capitol, provided to him by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), undermined claims about the Jan. 6 attack.

"Anybody who watched that video would strongly disagree," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday. "We'd hope that keeping the Capitol and Congress safe and secure remains congressional leaders' No. 1 goal, and that should be our focus."

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Jean-Pierre declined to criticize McCarthy specifically for handing over 41,000 hours of surveillance video to Carlson before what is expected to be difficult negotiations over the debt ceiling.

A number of Republicans have also criticized Carlson, ranging from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), though McConnell was similarly reticent to criticize McCarthy.

"It was a mistake, in my view, for WHD News to depict this in a way that's completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official here at the Capitol thinks," the Kentucky senator told reporters.

"I think that breaking through glass windows and doors to get into the United States Capitol against the orders of police is a crime," Cramer added separately. "To somehow put that in the same category as a permitted peaceful protest is just a lie."

Carlson acknowledged Monday some of the rioters were bad actors. But he said that most of the people in the Capitol on Jan. 6 were peaceful, describing them as “sightseers,” not “insurrectionists.”

"The footage does not show an insurrection or a riot in progress. Instead it shows police escorting people through the building," Carlson said.

Manchin sidesteps question about whether he will run for Senate in 2024

Ryan King

February 26, 12:44 PM February 26, 12:53 PM

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) sidestepped questions about whether he will run for reelection in 2024 amid reports of him privately flip-flopping on the matter.

Host Maria Bartiromo asked the senator about his election plans for 2024, noting that he ruled out running for president in a recent radio interview but has been mum about whether he will run for Senate or governor.

MANCHIN 'CHANGED HIS MIND MULTIPLE TIMES' ABOUT RUNNING AGAIN AS FUNDRAISING STALLS

"My main concern is how do we bring this country together. How do we make it work, how do we make Democrats, Republicans become Americans again, and not just party affiliates," Manchin replied during an interview with WHD News's Sunday Morning Futures.

"I'm going to do whatever I can to help my country come together, and my state come together," he later added.

When she pressed him about whether he still identifies as a Democrat, Manchin quipped, "I identify as an American." Manchin won his statewide race in an area where former President Donald Trump won by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020.

Polls indicate that he would have stiff competition if West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) enters the race. So far, his main declared rival is Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), whom he is leading in some recent polls. Part of his concerns about running for reelection stems from concerns about losing to Justice, per Puck News.

Manchin's seat is one of the most vulnerable in the 2024 Senate election cycle that is shaping up to have one of the most brutal maps for Democrats in decades. Democrats will have to defend 23 seats held by the party, including three held by Democratic-aligned independent senators, while the GOP will only have to defend 11.

The West Virginia senator was pivotal in giving President Joe Biden one of his signature legislative victories with the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act after having torpedoed multiple iterations of Biden's so-called Build Back Better agenda.

"This administration has sold that as an environmental bill only. It is an energy security bill. We're not going to be expanding all of the new technology for renewables as some people would wish unless we have the horsepower to run our country," Manchin reflected on the bill. "It's not been sold that way, and it's unfortunate."

When asked whether he had any regrets about backing the Inflation Reduction Act, especially in light of the reported permitting reforms he sought failing to manifest, Manchin said "no" and cited its boon for United States energy.

"If people don't think that bill is working, then why is Europe so upset? Because everyone's coming to America now to make these investments. So, it's going to be a great bill," Manchin quipped.

WATCH: Ben Carson blasts the Left for 'woke' changes to Christmas classics

Steff Thomas

December 24, 04:52 PM December 24, 05:16 PM

Dr. Ben Carson, who served as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development under the Trump administration, says political correctness has only made things “worse” while blasting recent changes to Christmas classics.

“The first time I spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in 1997 about the fact that political correctness, if we continued along that pathway, was going to destroy our nation," Carson said on a special edition of WHD News's Hannity. “It has continued to get worse.”

“Now it's morphed into wokeness,” he told guest host Tammy Bruce.

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Bruce was referencing a church in the United Kingdom that shared a more modern take on the classic Christmas hymn, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

“God rest you queer and questioning, your anxious hearts be still. God rest you also, women, who by men have been erased. Through history ignored and scorned, defiled and displaced,” the new lyrics from All Saints Church in Loughborough, England, read, which Bruce called left-wing “woke madness.”

When asked for his take, Carson talked about the United States, where he said it has gotten so bad that students on college campuses are now “afraid to express themselves,” especially conservatives.

“College is supposed to be a place where you explore and you have an opportunity to discuss certain things so that you can determine which way you're going. And basically, what's happening is people are being shut down,” the heart surgeon told the host.

"And it doesn't have to be the government that shuts down your freedom of speech, you know. Big Tech, social media, college professors can shut down your speech. And if the government is compliant with that, it's the same as if they're doing it. And we, the American people, should be outraged about that," Carson said.

From changes in the Marines being required to stop calling commanding officers "sir" and "ma’am" to avoid the risk of “misgendering” them to even Carson’s name being removed from a school in Detroit for his views, the former Trump official said America's freedoms are being diminished.

Quoting from the Declaration of Independence that “our freedoms come from God,” Carson said that with each “woke” change, society is “allowing them to be taken away from us.”

“We also have a government that is insinuating itself into every aspect of our lives. You know, liberty and community was about what the people could do, not what the government could do,” he said, adding that America is dynamic and innovative because of the country's diversity.

“If everybody is thinking the same way and saying the same things, where's that out-of-the-box thinking that's going to allow us to continue to be that beacon?”

Steve Bannon states he is just not fearful of heading to jail soon after guilty conviction

Ryan King

July 23, 10:13 AM July 23, 10:13 AM

As with probable jail time looming in excess of his contempt conviction, Steve Bannon was adamant that he wasn't frightened of a minimal time driving bars.

During an interview with WHD News's Tucker Carlson, the host asked Bannon if he had any considerations about what could be done to him if he were to provide time in jail for his defiance of a congressional subpoena.

BANNON Phone calls FOR NEW JAN. 6 COMMITTEE TO Supply 'CRUSHING BLOW' TO DEMOCRATS

"1st off, if I go to jail, I go to jail. I will under no circumstances again off a next. Appear, I put in eight years as a naval officer. I have fully commited my existence ... to this software to get this carried out. I will under no circumstances back off. I assist Trump and the Structure. And I am not backing off a single inch. If I go to jail, so be it," Bannon reported.

The previous Trump main strategist and senior counselor was located responsible of two contempt charges from him for his defiance of a Dwelling Jan. 6 committee subpoena past year. His sentencing is slated for November, and he faces concerning 30 times and a single year in prison, as perfectly as up to $100,000 in fines for every charge.

Attorneys for Bannon were adamant that they would obstacle the conviction, arguing they experienced a "bulletproof attraction." Notably, the trial was the initial contempt of Congress trial due to the fact 1983, according to CNN lawful analyst Elie Honig.

Bannon's trial began earlier this week and finished Friday. Legal professionals for Bannon had not called upon any witnesses and had been precluded from working with vital defense arguments these as the "information-of-counsel" defense. They had also been blocked from calling on heavy hitters this kind of as Property Speaker Nancy Pelosi or customers of the Residence Jan. 6 committee as witnesses. All of this led to frustration with U.S. District Decide Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee.

Through the job interview, Carlson lamented how other people, such as former Attorney Common Eric Holder, defied congressional subpoena requests in the earlier and did not face jail time as a final result. Bannon argued they experienced electrical power and named on Republicans to acquire edge of theirs the moment they reclaim the Property immediately after the midterm elections. He known as for a new Jan. 6 committee to be formed by the GOP just after the bash retakes the House.

"We require a commission or committee on Jan. 6. It can be bought to be with the new Congress, with Republicans in charge — we got to get to the base of the intelligence failures, FBI involvement, DHS involvement, the intelligence companies, what happened to the Pentagon and the Nationwide Guard," he explained to Carlson.

Fox's Hannity and Ingraham assault former Meadows aide just after blockbuster testimony

Cami Mondeaux

June 28, 11:16 PM June 28, 11:39 PM

Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham decried testimony from a previous Trump White Dwelling aide for the duration of the rapidly scheduled Jan. 6 committee hearing on Tuesday, claiming the witness was not credible and could not be taken seriously.

Cassidy Hutchinson, who was an assistant to White Residence main of staff members Mark Meadows, appeared ahead of the Jan. 6 committee on Tuesday when she gave revelatory testimony about activities primary up to and in the course of the Capitol riot. For the duration of a single component of her testimony, Hutchinson explained herself as becoming “disgusted” by previous President Donald Trump’s refusal to condemn threats against Vice President Mike Pence, which she explained as “unpatriotic” and “un-American.”

6 Noteworthy Times FROM Home JAN. 6 Listening to Showcasing EX-TRUMP AIDE HUTCHINSON

Throughout his demonstrate on WHD News hours later on, Hannity explained Hutchinson’s testimony showcased “hearsay” and prompt the witness had questionable motives.

“What you heard there is an amazingly bizarre hearsay allegation from a man or woman who, according to our sources, preferred to do the job for Donald Trump outside the house the White Residence when he was not president at Mar-a-Lago, and, according to individuals I talked to tonight … other folks recommended the former president not to use her,” Hannity said. “In other text, in accordance to the Federalist and persons I talked to, right after Jan. 6, she preferred to do the job for Donald Trump — that undesirable human being she’s now testifying versus.”

Ingraham echoed identical sentiments, arguing Hutchinson’s testimony was currently being used by Democrats as a “distraction” ahead of the midterm elections. The WHD News host also cited discussions she had with other White Residence staffers who labored intently with Hutchinson, boosting questions about whether or not the former Meadows aide’s testimony was credible.

“I spoke with some previous White Household staffers, a few or 4 of them, in the afternoon, and they knew her properly. And not a single human being experienced just about anything good to say about her performance nowadays simply because they viewed,” Ingraham reported, “especially these secondhand promises supposedly from Tony Ornato, an additional Trump aide, that was supposedly a person of [the committee’s] large blockbusters," she included.

During the hearing, Hutchinson mentioned she read from Ornato how Trump got agitated when, just after delivering a speech on Jan. 6, he was advised throughout the push back to the White Property that likely to the Capitol was not an choice. Among the the promises Hutchinson relayed was that Trump grabbed the steering wheel of the auto and lunged at the head of his stability depth. Trump reacted on Reality Social, contacting it a "faux tale," and there have been experiences that men and women included in the story about the chaotic travel on Jan. 6 are ready to force back on it.

Hannity's and Ingraham's textual content messages to Meadows on Jan. 6, urging him to tell the former president to instruct his supporters to leave the Capitol during the attack, were being examine through the hearing on Tuesday.

Jesse Watters forecasts summer of 'panic' beneath Biden

Daniel Chaitin

June 19, 11:17 AM June 19, 11:17 AM

WHD News host Jesse Watters warned of a summer season of "worry" less than President Joe Biden.

He produced various predictions of tough financial problems for people in the United States, which includes significant gasoline price ranges spoiling spouse and children gatherings for Independence Working day, for the duration of an job interview with fellow host Dan Bongino that aired on Saturday night.

"The entire wrath of Hurricane Joe definitely has not been experienced still by the American people today. And I think this summer months, we will see panic in the ultimate stage," Watters explained for the duration of a phase on Unfiltered with Dan Bongino.

After faulting the Federal Reserve for remaining way too late to perform an interest charge hike to combat climbing inflation and noting this sort of things as increased criminal offense and probable brownouts, Watters stated he is nervous about Biden making an attempt drastic measures. "What I'm afraid of, Dan, is he is heading to stress and go whole Bernie Sanders," Watters stated, referring to the Vermont unbiased senator who is a self-proclaimed "democratic socialist." Among people steps, he reported, could be "illegal" government orders in a bid to placate his foundation.

What is actually much more, Biden lacks the "political techniques" to study course-appropriate, even just after the midterm elections, in which Republicans are envisioned to get manage of at minimum 1 chamber of Congress, Watters stated.

"I do not essentially consider he really cares that a lot, Dan, about the suffering of this state," he extra.

Look at: Washington Examiner's Sarah Westwood claims voters may perhaps forgive Trump-critical Republicans

Jenny Goldsberry

June 15, 06:21 PM June 15, 06:21 PM

The Washington Examiner's Sarah Westwood commented on the latest triumphs of Republican candidates, these as Rep. Nancy Mace (SC), who fended off major challenges inspite of not wielding former President Donald Trump's endorsement.

Westwood appeared on WHD News's Your World with Neil Cavuto on Wednesday to issue out the techniques from the "Glenn Youngkin playbook" utilized by Mace, Gov. Brian Kemp (GA), and Ga Secretary of Condition Brad Raffensperger. Youngkin himself was endorsed by Trump even with by no means supporting claims that the 2020 election could have been stolen.

"Voters are showing a willingness to forgive Republicans that have been essential of Trump in the aftermath of 2020 but who minimal their criticism to what took place on Jan. 6 and what took place with the election but who are still complimentary of Trump as a man or woman, of his agenda, and of the motion still," Westwood discussed.

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Even though Trump endorsed Mace's opponent, Katie Arrington, he has considering the fact that congratulated Mace and inspired voters to vote for her as the Republican nominee.

"There’s sufficient of a constituency out there in the Republican Get together that wishes to see Trump entirely eradicated," Westwood continued. "I don’t know that that constituency is large ample anymore mainly because in all of these races, you are seeing voters do not want to listen to them bad-mouthing Trump. They want to hear a vision for how the celebration moves forward."

Trump has strictly endorsed Republican candidates who share the exact same policies that he enforced as president. Some of his endorsed candidates have fallen flat, such as Nebraska gubernatorial applicant Charles Herbster as perfectly as Arrington.

Even so, many of his picks have been successful. Rep. Tom Rice (SC) a short while ago missing his GOP major election to Trump-endorsed Russell Fry. Equally J.D. Vance in Ohio and Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania are advancing to their Senate elections with the coveted endorsements.

"They nonetheless want to listen to candidates chatting about the very same points that Trump was," Westwood said. "You know, profitable the trade war, securing the border, embracing populist concepts culturally. These are the types of things that voters are intrigued in."