WEST PALM BEACH, Florida – Former President donald trump told reporters on Friday that he would “absolutely” testify at his upcoming silent trial, which is scheduled to begin on Monday.
“Yes, I would testify, for sure,” he said.
Trump, who is loaded with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, repeatedly called the trial a “fraud” during his press conference at Mar-a-Lago.
Selection of the jury in the trial, which should last six to eight weeksstarts Monday.
“I’m testifying. I tell the truth, I mean, all I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is there’s no case,” Trump said.
Trump is not required to testify at his own criminal trial. If he decides to do so, he will be subject to cross-examination by the prosecution, where he could be questioned about a multitude of topics while under oath – including the nature of his relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels.
During the damages trial in Civil case E. Jean CarrollTrump chose to take a stand, but the judge in that case greatly limited what he was allowed to say.
On Friday, the judge in the case denied Trump’s attempt to delay the trial citing too much publicity before the trial.
Trump is the first former president to be tried in a criminal case. He is required to appear in court every day the court is in session to participate in his defense, which will significantly restrict the amount of time he can spend campaigning for president.
Trump held his press conference Friday with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., where they announced their support for legislation that prevent non-citizens from voting – a practice that is already illegal and incredibly rare.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
