Donald Trump Wishes to Celebrate Melania Trump's Birthday but is 'at a Courthouse for a Rigged Trial'

Former President Donald Trump wishes to celebrate his wife Melania Trump’s birthday in Florida on Friday but is unable to spend the day with her due to his “rigged” criminal trial in Manhattan, he told reporters.

Before heading into trial, Trump wished his wife a “very happy birthday” and promised to fly back to Florida on Friday evening to share as much time with her as he could.

“I want to start by wishing my wife Melania a very happy birthday,” Trump said. “It’d be nice to be with her, but I’m at a courthouse for a rigged trial.”

“It’s a rigged trial; it’s terrible. But we’re doing very well in this rigged trial. Everybody knows it,” he said.

“But I do have to begin by wishing Melania happy birthday,” he added. “She’s in Florida. I’ll be going there this evening after this case finishes up, this horrible, unconstitutional case.”

Only about one-third of American adults believe Trump did anything illegal regarding the case, an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll recently found.

Trump also highlighted a congressional report on his trial and praised Thursday’s Supreme Court arguments about presidential immunity:

We have a report that was just put out by House Judiciary on the district attorney’s office, which was done by Congress. And so I guess it just came out a little while ago — a few moments ago. I haven’t seen it yet. I haven’t read it. But it should be interesting. … The case is over. You heard what was said, and the case should be over. But you have to make that determination. I think we have a judge who won’t ever allow this case to be over in a positive way. He’s highly conflicted, the most highly conflicted judge I’ve ever seen.

Yesterday, I had the Supreme Court having to deal with immunity. I heard the argument. It was brilliant. I listened to it last night; I thought it was really great. I thought the judges’ questions were good. All presidents have to have immunity. This has nothing to do with me, absolutely nothing. All presidents have to have immunity or you don’t have a president, certainly not a president that the founders wanted.

“We have another day in court, a freezing courthouse. It’s very cold in there — on purpose, I believe. They don’t seem to be able to get the temperature up. It shouldn’t be that complicated,” Trump concluded. “We have a freezing courthouse, and that’s fine — it’s just fine. Let ’em keep handing it out. It’s a rigged trial.”

The case is New York v. Trump, No. 71543-23, in the New York Supreme Court for New York County.