Former President Donald Trump on Friday posted an online message about making New York "safe again" shortly after a man lit himself outside the courthouse where Trump is on trial.
The trial began Monday in Trump's hush-money criminal case, where he faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records tied to a payment made to an adult-film actress during his first presidential campaign in 2016.
At around 1:37 p.m. ET, just as Trump and others in the courtroom headed for lunch break, New York City police officers responded to a scene outside the courthouse where Max Azzarello, 37, had set himself on fire in apparent protest. According to a manifesto Azzarello wrote beforehand, his actions were not related to Trump's trial.
Less than an hour later, Trump posted a link to his campaign website on Truth Social, writing, "MAKE NEW YORK SAFE AGAIN!"
The Context
Azzarello was seen holding a sign and throwing pamphlets into the air before he doused himself in an accelerant and set himself ablaze on Friday. Newsweek reporter Katherine Fung said the sign contained a link to a Substack page featuring Azzarello's manifesto, which read that his "extreme act of protest" was triggered by conspiracy theories, including some involving Ponzi schemes.
Law enforcement said that Azzarello was taken to the Cornell Burn Center on the Upper East Side after first responders worked to extinguish the flames. He was said to be in critical condition, and a spokesperson for the New York Police Department (NYPD) told Newsweek that the investigation was ongoing.
What We Know
Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, has repeatedly accused prosecutors and New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan—who's presiding over his case—of attempting to interfere with his November reelection chances in his battle with President Joe Biden.
The website link that was included in Trump's Truth Social post Friday afternoon included an image of the ex-president making a fist, with the phrase, "I'm trapped in court right now!"
"THE DEEP STATE DOESN'T WANT ME TO BE PRESIDENT EVER AGAIN!" the campaign page reads. "I'm being DRAGGED to court so often that I'm being taken off the campaign trail. It breaks my heart that I can't spend more time with TRUE TRUMP REPUBLICANS like you. But I have felt your love and support, and I really mean that!"
Viewers are asked at the bottom of the page to donate to Trump's campaign, with the option to select amounts from $20.24 to $3,300. There is also an option to write in an amount to contribute.
Views
In a statement sent to Newsweek Friday evening, Trump's national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the situation involving Azzarello was "sickening," adding, "it's difficult to make any definitive remarks other than to say we are thankful that to the best of our present knowledge, nobody other than the individual in question was hurt."
"We also extend our condolences to the traumatized witnesses on the scene and offer our deepest gratitude to the great first responders of the City of New York for their actions," the statement continued. "Today, is more proof that our nation is in deep trouble and that perhaps more than ever, we all must work to Make America Great Again."
Several of Trump's attacks have accused Bragg of focusing his attention on a "scam" indictment instead of addressing a "record high" crime rate in New York City.
According to the NYPD, the number of reported crimes dropped slightly from 2022 to 2023, and decreases were seen across most major categories at the start of 2024. The overall crime index for January was 2.9 percent lower citywide than in the same month last year.
Newsweek previously reported that crime also generally decreased across the country toward the end of 2023. Biden touted that his administration saw a "record decrease in crime" from the fourth quarter of 2022 to the end of 2023 after the FBI released its quarterly crime data in February.
When the report was released, the White House threw a jab at Trump's administration, saying in a statement that the former president "oversaw the largest increase in murders ever recorded." Trump's campaign disputed the claim.
What's Next?
Jury selection wrapped in Trump's trial Friday morning, with all 12 jurors and six alternates now sworn in. Opening statements are scheduled to begin on Monday.
Update 4/19/24, 9:08 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from Donald Trump's national press secretary.
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Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more
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