Live updates: Trump calls for new judge and trial venue

Barr says Trump ‘lacks all self-control’ and should avoid testifying in a potential trial

William Barr, Trump’s former attorney general, said yesterday that it would be a “particularly bad idea” for the former president to testify on his own behalf, as Trump “lacks all self-control.”

“I’m not his lawyer. Generally, I think it’s a bad idea to go on the stand, and I think it’s a particularly bad idea for Trump, because he lacks all self-control, and it would be very difficult to prepare him and keep him testifying in a prudent fashion,” Barr said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday.”

Barr served as the top law enforcement officer under Trump. But he has come out against the former president for Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election.

Vivek Ramaswamy calls on Bragg to drop charges

GOP allies continue falling in line behind Trump, criticizing the indictment of the former president and calling prosecution “politically motivated.”

Republican primary competitor Vivek Ramaswamy put out a television ad calling on the Manhattan DA to drop the “corrupt” charges. He said he expects every Republican to join him.

“We’re not some banana republic where the ruling party gets to use its police power to arrest its political opponents,” Ramaswamy said in the ad. He is not considered to be a top GOP contender for the nomination.

AdImpact, an advertisement data tracking company, found the ad running nationally on Newsmax and a media market that covers much of New Hampshire, an early nominating state.

Trump camp says post-indictment fundraising eclipses $5 million

Trump’s campaign says it’s raised more than $5 million since the news of his indictment was first reported Thursday night.

While the campaign initially touted raising $4 million in the first 24 hours after the indictment, a campaign official tells NBC News it’s since eclipsed $5 million. (Axios first reported the updated total.)

It won’t be possible to verify those claims until fundraising reports are filed with the Federal Election Commission on April 15. Friday was also the last day of the first fundraising quarter, when campaigns typically make a final push before closing their books on the first three months of the year. 

But the Trump campaign is clearly trying to send the message that the indictment is helping — not hurting — his presidential bid. The campaign noted in a press release that in the first 24 hours after the indictment, 25% of contributions came from first-time donors. 

Trump calls for new judge and trial venue in overnight Truth Social post

Trump claimed it would be “IMPOSSIBLE” for him to get a fair trial in New York and called for a new trial venue and judge in an overnight post on his Truth Social site.

“The Corrupt D.A. has no case,” he wrote. “What he does have is a venue where it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a Fair Trial (it must be changed!)”.

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said yesterday that it was “way too premature” to be thinking about venue changes. Speaking about motions Trump’s team could file, he added, that “everything’s on the table,” in an interview with ABC News’ “This Week.”

In his post, Trump also referred to Judge Juan Merchan as “Trump Hating,” and said “he must be changed!”

Tacopina said yesterday that he doesn’t believe Merchan is unfair. “Do I think the judge is biased? Of course not,” he said. “How could I subscribe to that when I’ve had no interactions with the judge that would lead me to believe he’s biased?”

Trump attorney James Trusty, who represents him in a separate case, said on “Fox News Sunday” about Trump’s attacks on Merchan, “Well, the president’s a big believer in free speech — as you know, he’s got strong opinions.”

New poll: Most Americans approve of Trump indictment

As many as 60% of Americans approve of the Trump indictment, even though 76% say politics played a role in it, according to a new CNN poll of 1,048 adults conducted Friday through Saturday by the polling firm SSRS.

Americans have been following news of the indictment closely, with 94% saying they had heard at least a little about it and 51% saying they had heard a lot, even though the poll was conducted in the first 48 hours after the news broke.

Americans were split on whether Trump’s payments to porn star Stormy Daniels were illegal — 37% said they were, while 33% said they were unethical, but not illegal. Only 10% said the payments were “not wrong at all” while another 20% weren’t sure.

While Democrats nearly universally approved of the indictment, Republicans were slightly less unanimous in their opposition to it, with only 54% strongly disapproving. Independents were mostly in favor of the indictment, with 62% approving of it and 38% disapproving.