Donald Trump said he would accept home confinement or jail time after his historic conviction by a New York jury last week but that it would be tough for the public to accept.
“I’m not sure the public would stand for it,” the Republican presidential candidate told Fox News in an interview that aired on Sunday. “I think it’d be tough for the public to take. You know, at a certain point, there’s a breaking point.”
Trump did not elaborate on what he thought might happen if that point was reached. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, four days before Republicans gather to formally choose their presidential nominee to face Democratic President Joe Biden in November’s election.
Asked what Trump supporters should do if he were jailed, Republic National Committee co-chair Lara Trump told CNN: “Well, they’re gonna do what they’ve done from the beginning, which is remain calm and protest at the ballot box on November 5. There’s nothing to do other than make your voices heard loud and clear and speak out against this.”
Trump has used his conviction to step up his fundraising efforts but has not otherwise sought to mobilise his supporters, in contrast to his comments protesting his 2020 loss to Biden that was followed by an attack by his supporters on January 6, 2021, on the US Capitol.
The RNC and the Trump campaign raised $70 million in the 48 hours after the verdict, Lara Trump said, a figure that Reuters was not able to independently verify.