PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump compared President Joe Biden’s administration to Nazi Germany’s secret police force in remarks at a private, closed-door donor retreat Saturday afternoon.
The former president’s comments came as he spoke about his legal troubles, attacking prosecutors in the cases and lamenting the recent indictments in Arizona of several of his former aides, along with 11 so-called fake voters from the 2020 election.
“These people run a Gestapo administration,” Trump said, according to audio of the lunch provided to NBC News. “And it’s the only thing they have. And it’s the only way they can win, in their opinion.”
“As soon as I was indicted, I said well, now the gloves have to come off,” Trump added, saying Biden is “the worst president in the history of our country. He is extremely incompetent. He’s crooked as hell. He is the Manchurian candidate, accepts huge amounts of money from China, Russia, Ukraine and many other countries. He is a criminal.”
The former president added that he doesn’t let his legal problems bother him too much.
“If you care too much, you tend to choke. And in a way, I don’t care. You just know, life is life”, he said.
He admitted, however, that he was surprised when he was indicted.
“As soon as I was indicted, I said: Holy shit—. I just got indicted. My. I have been indicted,” Trump said.
He also called Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecuting two federal cases against Trump, an “evil thug” and “deranged.”
The Biden campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
Trump made his comments at his Mar-a-Lago club Saturday afternoon as hundreds of donors gathered here for the Republican National Committee’s spring retreat.
The former president had limited time to campaign, as he had to spend four days a week sitting in a Manhattan courtroom for his criminal trial related to hush money payments to an adult film star around the 2016 election.
Guests at this weekend’s retreat include several potential vice presidential candidates, including South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Florida Representative Byron Donalds and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.
Trump has not yet progressed beyond the initial stages of evaluating a running mate, as NBC News reported. Top candidates have not yet received detailed questionnaires or other requests for information to help finalize a shortlist.
At the lunch, Trump brought all of those guests on stage — except Noem, who left early, according to two people present — along with a host of other elected officials, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
“By the end, there were a lot of people on stage,” a Republican source who attended the lunch told NBC News.
Trump, according to the audio recording, praised Stefanik for her role in challenging former Harvard University president Claudine Gay, who resigned after facing scrutiny over testimony she gave at a congressional hearing on anti-Semitism in the campus and following allegations of plagiarism in his academic work.
“You destroyed her,” Trump said. “She did so well, everyone said…she will be the vice presidential candidate.”
Vance, who was a prominent critic of Trump in 2016 while promoting his memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” “turned out to be amazing,” the former president said. The senator is expected to hold a fundraiser with Trump this month in Ohio.
“You know he was not a supporter of mine,” Trump said of Vance. “He was saying things like, ‘The guy is a total wreck!’”
Scott, whose campaign for the GOP presidential nomination failed before the Iowa caucuses, “did a good job,” Trump said. “But as a substitute, He is unbelievable.”
“And do you know what he told me? He said: ‘I’ve never felt comfortable talking about myself.’ There is something good about that. It never bothered me to talk about myself. I’m the opposite.”
Trump also recognized Rubio and Donalds, his potential vice presidents from Florida, where he also resides. The Constitution prohibits electors from voting for a president and vice president from their own states.
Rubio, Trump said, is “a talented guy” and is “absolutely” being considered, “although we have a little problem. It’s a smaller Florida problem with these Florida guys, I have to be honest with you – including that guy there, Byron.”
Burgum, a former software entrepreneur who became Trump’s first high-profile rival to support him, has drawn praise for his personal wealth.
“He’s a very rich man, he’s made a lot of money,” Trump said. “I always said, ‘This guy is really impressive.’”
Trump also gave a shoutout to Noem, although she did not take the stage, calling the South Dakota governor — who has been under fire since revealing in a forthcoming book that she shot and killed a family dog — “someone that I love.” .
“She’s with me and she’s a supporter, and I’ve been a supporter of hers for a long time,” Trump added.
Trump also said he would allow anyone who donated $1 million on the spot to take the stage. Two people accepted the offer, including a woman who declared: “Donald J. Trump is the person God chose.”
Dasha Burns, Abigail Brooks and Olympia Sonnier are reporting from Palm Beach, Florida; Henry J. Gomez of Cleveland, Ohio; and Amanda Terkel of Washington, D.C. Alec Hernández and Nnamdi Egwuonwu are in Palm Beach.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
