Trump boasts about not resigning in disgrace over his multiple scandals

The former president faces 91 felony counts across several states as he brags about not stepping down from politics

In a rambling 90-minute keynote speech at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, Donald Trump boasted about how he hasn’t stepped down in the face of several indictments and felony charges.

“I’ve watched over the years as politicians get indicted,” Mr Trump said. “And they start by going to a microphone about two minutes after that. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I will be resigning from office today. I will be home go home with my family, my friends, and I will fight for my name.’”

“Well, that’s the last you ever hear from that poor guy,” he continued. “And with me we have a big voice we have — you can see by this crowd.”

The former president is facing 91 felony counts after prosecutors brought four indictments against him in the last year.

Mr Trump faces charges in Georgia and Washington DC related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Meanwhile, in Florida, he’s facing charges related to keeping classified documents, and in New York prosecutors say he falsified business records surrounding hush money payments during his first presidential campaign.

That’s not to mention the civil cases he’s faced, such as the E Jean Carroll defamation trials and a $355m fine – plus tens of millions more in interest – for fraudulent business practices.

Meanwhile, the former president maintains his absolute innocence.

“The only crime I’ve committed is defending America,” Mr Trump said during his speech on Saturday.

On top of bragging about staying in politics despite his charges, Mr Trump’s speech was also filled with falsehoods.

At one point, Mr Trump discussed a previously debunked claim about US casualties in Afghanistan.

“18 months, we didn’t have one soldier killed in Afghanistan, I was the one that got it — I was the one that had it ready, it was enough, 21 years, that was enough,” Mr Trump said.

When Mr Trump made a similar comment last year, the Associated Press reported it is untrue that the 18-month period was solely under the Trump presidency. Instead, those 18 months came just before President Joe Biden pulled American troops out of Afghanistan in August 2021, meaning it happened under both administrations, according to the AP.

The former president also falsely claimed that Californians are being sent several ballots as part of a scheme to defraud elections during his keynote speech at CPAC.

“I will tell you if God came down and God was the vote checker, I believe [Republicans] would win California, I think it’s so crazy,” Mr Trump said. “They send out 36 million ballots, just sent out to people unknown. They’re sent out all over the place. How many people from California know people that get six, seven, eight ballots?”

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state of California, and his claims come as he faces charges in two states for attempting to overturn the 2020 election.