Lauren Boebert suggests how Trump’s trials would “go away”

Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert said that the legal challenge against Donald Trump would disappear if the former president decided to “just quit” his run for a second term in the White House.

Boebert’s comments on Monday, posted to X, formerly Twitter, came after the beginning of Trump’s hush-money trial in Manhattan Criminal Court, where the former president faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush payment involving adult-film star Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The case marks the first of the four criminal indictments filed against Trump to head for trial, as he campaigns for reelection. The ex-president has repeatedly maintained innocence to all charges.

“The latest election interference stunt requires DJT [Donald J. Trump] to be in court, in person, for a possible 6-8 week trial, keeping him off of the campaign trail,” Boebert, a Republican ally to Trump, wrote on X.

“Remember, this trial and all the others would go away if Trump just quit,” she continued. “But he won’t! He’s putting his life on the line to fight for you and me. We love you President Trump!”

Newsweek reached out to Trump’s campaign via email Monday night for comment on Boebert’s post.

Trump has repeatedly characterized his list of legal challenges as a form of election interference, accusing prosecutors and judges of working on behalf of President Joe Biden’s campaign ahead of the November election.

A handful of X users responded to Boebert’s post, dismissing ideas that Trump’s charges were politically motivated, including one user who wrote back, “Trump could also just plead guilty and save us the time and money.”

“Don’t you have a different criminal trial to worry about?” another user by the name of Travis Matthew wrote, referring to Boebert’s 19-year-old son who faces more than a dozen criminal charges, including felony identity theft.

“Also, he put his own life on the line by committing business fraud 34x,” user @ArtCandee wrote. “Perhaps the example you’re setting for your kids that it’s ok to be criminals isn’t so good after all.”

Several other Trump supporters in Congress on Monday condemned the hush-money trial, including Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who reposted a video from Trump’s campaign on X, writing, “This is outrageous! ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!”

Florida Representative Byron Donalds, member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, also told NewsNation Monday morning that the case against Trump “is going to backfire to a large degree.”

“The American people understand when something is legitimate, when something is fair, and when somebody basically has an ax to grind,” Donalds continued. “And this is nothing more than a political ax to grind from the radical left and Joe Biden.”

In a post to X, Donalds wrote alongside a video of his appearance on NewsNation, “We NEED change. On [November 5] WE WILL win.”

Trump’s defense team on Monday made two different requests for the former president to be excused from attending trial in the coming weeks: one day next week so he could attend the U.S. Supreme Court hearing on his presidential immunity claims in his other criminal cases, and another in May so he could attend the high school graduation of his youngest son, Barron Trump.

New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan immediately denied Trump’s request to miss the trial on April 25 to hear arguments before the justices, telling the defense team, “I will see him here next week.”

Merchan did not rule on whether Trump could be excused on May 17 for his Barron’s ceremony, saying the decision will depend “on if we are on time and where we are in the trial.”

Trump griped about Merchan’s decision to not let him attend the Supreme Court hearing while speaking with the media as he left the courthouse.

“That I can’t go to my son’s graduation or that I can’t go to the United States Supreme Court. That I’m not in Georgia, or Florida, or North Carolina campaigning like I should be,” Trump said. “It’s perfect for the radical left Democrats. It’s exactly what they want.”

When asked by reporters during a meeting at the White House on Monday if he had watched any coverage of Trump’s trial, Biden reportedly shook his head “no,” according to CNN.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined comment on the trial during a press briefing Monday afternoon, adding that the president was instead focused on his responsibilities.

More than 50 potential jurors were dismissed on Monday as both sides of the case work to choose a jury pool that can remain impartial as the trial plays out. Trump has also said that he plans to testify in his own defense.

Monday’s hearing also included a moment when Trump appeared to be “sleeping” in court, as reported by The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. Other reporters noted that Trump appeared to later glare at Haberman as he exited the courtroom.