New York - Former President Donald Trump made a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night after he was arraigned in Manhattan on felony charges of falsifying business records. The speech was riddled with false claims previously debunked, according to a fact-check reported by CNN.

False claims vs facts
One of the false claims made by Trump was about George Soros and District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Trump claimed that Bragg, who is prosecuting him, is a "radical left, George Soros-backed prosecutor." However, there is no evidence that Soros made any donations to Bragg's 2021 election campaign, and a Soros spokesperson stated that Soros and Bragg have never communicated in any way.

Another false claim made by Trump was about former presidents' handling of documents after leaving the White House. Trump defended his handling of government documents, which is the subject of an ongoing federal investigation, by falsely claiming that several other former presidents took documents with them upon leaving the White House.

Trump claimed that "openly taking boxes of documents and mostly clothing and other things to my home" is something "which President Obama has done" and that "The Bushes have done. Jimmy Carter's done. Ronald Reagan is done. Everybody's done." However, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) pointed out that there is no evidence that previous presidents did anything like what Trump did after the Presidential Records Act took effect in 1981.

Trump also said that the U.S. has "an economy that has been crippled by the biggest inflation we have seen in more than 60 years." The claim is clearly an exaggeration, as the actual highest year-over-year inflation rate for the last 60 years is 14.8% (in early 1980), which is much higher than the mid-2022 levels of inflation. Furthermore, year-over-year inflation has actually declined for eight straight months, hitting 6% in February 2023, which is not even close to the 60-year high.

‘Judge hates me’
Trump accused Justice Juan Merchan Justice Merchan of bias, claiming that he is a "Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating family."

"I have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating family," Trump said in his response speech at Mar-a-Lago.

Last Friday, Trump had posted on social media that the judge "HATES ME". He offered no further explanation.

During the hearing, Justice Merchan warned both sides to avoid incendiary rhetoric, but did not impose a gag order on any party involved in the case.

A gag order would have prohibited Trump, his attorneys, and others from publicly speaking about the case, typically used when there's a risk of inciting violence or threatening prosecutors or witnesses.

What now?
Donald Trump's upcoming court date in December, just weeks before the Republican primary elections, could potentially pose challenges to his campaign for the presidential candidacy.

Trump's strategy of portraying himself as a victim of politically-motivated legal actions seems to be resonating with some of his supporters, as evidenced by his rising poll ratings and campaign fundraising.

Trump is also facing other legal investigations, including potential charges in Georgia for interfering with the 2020 presidential election results and a special counsel investigation in Washington DC regarding his role in the January 6th Capitol riots and classified documents found at his Florida home.

At the end of the court day, a reportedly "upset" Trump ate dinner on the patio of his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, surrounded by club members, family, and some of his staunchest supporters on the hill, including Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene.