WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has warned that sending him to prison could prove a “breaking point” for his supporters — remarks that will fuel concerns of political violence around the US presidential election on November 5.

In an interview aired on Fox News on Sunday, the ex-president and current Republican White House hopeful 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 ok with it,” Trump said, but added he was “not sure the public would stand for it.” “I think it would be tough for the public to take. You know at a certain point there’s a breaking point,” he said.

Warning comes amid fears of civil unrest, political harassment in run-up to presidential election in November

While he did not elaborate on what he thought might happen if that point is reached, the warning will resonate in a country already concerned about the prospect of civil unrest and political harassment in the run-up to the November ballot.

Trump will now be running as a convicted felon, and he has repeatedly made it clear he will not accept the result should he lose to President Joe Biden.

Trump was convicted on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up a sex scandal involving porn star Stormy Daniels.

It was the first criminal conviction of a former president in US history, and sentencing has been set for July 11 — just days before the Republican convention that will formally anoint Trump as the party’s presidential nominee.

Although each charge carries a possible four-year jail term, experts say it is extremely unlikely that the judge will hand down a custodial sentence.

Trump faces three other criminal trials, including one related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost to Biden.

His supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 after he delivered a fiery speech urging the crowd to “fight like hell”. Speaking to FoxNews, Trump repeated his assertions that the hush money trial was a “scam” and that his political opponents had “weaponised” the justice system to keep him from returning to the White House.

Biden has called Trump’s attacks on the judiciary and his trial judge reckless, irresponsible and “dangerous”.

In his interview with Fox News, Trump said the criminal trial had taken a toll on his wife, who was notably absent as other close family members attended the court proceedings in support.

“She’s fine, but I think it’s very hard for her,” Trump said. “She has to read all this crap.” Melania Trump has barely engaged with her husband’s current White House campaign, failing to appear at a single Trump rally, and rarely joins him in public.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2024