Donald Trump Once Bragged About Obstructing Justice at the Florida Freedom Summit

Donald Trump appeared to admit that if he hadn't fired some of his staff, he wouldn't be roaming free. In the latest of unintentional admissions, Trump announced to a crowd that his actions against select high-ranking FBI agents stopped him from being removed from office.

During his speech at the Florida Freedom Summit, Trump reminded the crowd that he would probably not be speaking to them if he hadn't fired these "FBI top guys," Meidas Touch Network reported.

He said, "I got rid of Comey. I got rid of the FBI's top officials. I got rid of all of them. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't be standing here talking to you."

The admission is getting the former president a lot of flak from the internet, considering he's practically admitting to firing national security staff for the fear they would get him removed from office. "Is this an admission of guilt," a Twitter user asked along with a popcorn emoji. Another user tweeted, "I would say he is the absolute worst criminal ever. But the fact that he is still a free man somewhat negates that." Another user tweeted, "Your Honor, the prosecution rests," sarcastically aiming at the former president's pending cases.

This isn't the first time he's admitted anything like this. In 2021, Trump said something similar to Mark Levin before adding, "If I didn't fire Comey, they were looking to take down the President of the United States... I don't think I could've survived if I didn't fire him."

Following Trump's Fox News comments in 2021, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow responded, "If somebody were going to bring an obstruction of justice prosecution for that, we are still within the statute of limitations for that if that, was a crime. I'm just saying. He did just confess to that in detail on national TV."

About 2 months away from the first nominating ballots, Trump was exploiting his advantages by attempting to humiliate Ron DeSantis in the two candidates' shared home state of Florida, where party activists gathered on Saturday to watch them at the Florida Freedom Summit. “We’re going to win the Florida primary for the third straight time, and we’re going to win the state by a landslide next November,” Trump told a boisterous crowd, the Associated Press reported. 

Several Florida politicians moved from DeSantis to Trump ahead of the Florida Freedom Summit, and Trump and his new endorsers stood behind visuals that proclaimed, “Florida is Trump Country.”

DeSantis, Trump, and other contenders signed qualifying papers for Florida's March 2024 primary on Saturday. The primary could be crucial, but only if the governor or other candidates can weaken Trump's position in the early nominating states. “Weakening DeSantis’ standing in Florida is a clear objective of the Trump campaign,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who worked on the 2016 presidential campaign of Florida Sen.

Marco Rubio. “His entire message is built on the idea that he is a terrific governor. When Republican officials in Florida are choosing Trump over DeSantis, it weakens the core of DeSantis’ pitch.”

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 6, 2023. It has since been updated.