What Trump said during his first Fox News interview since he was indicted

Former President Donald Trump denied wrongdoing in connection with his latest indictment and was defiant about suggestions the charges against him could sink his chances of winning the Republican nomination during an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier that aired Monday.

“Right now I have the best polls I’ve ever had,” Trump said in his first TV interview since the indictment. “People see this stuff for what it is, it’s a political witch hunt, it’s a continuation.”

A Quinnipiac poll released last week found Trump’s popularity among Republicans is largely unchanged after he was indicted on 37 federal charges for his handling of classified documents. The poll found 53% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters support Trump, followed by 23% who support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Tied with 4% support are former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

When asked about his past comments on protecting classified information and his thoughts on Pence, who said he couldn’t defend Trump’s actions as alleged, Trump criticized Pence and denied he did anything wrong.

“Like every other president, I take things out and in my case I took it out pretty much in a hurry but people packed it up and we left,” Trump said. “I had clothing in there I had all sorts of personal items in there, much, much stuff.”

Baier asked Trump why he didn’t hand over documents that the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, asked for, and Trump said it was “because I had boxes I wanted to go through” and “get all my personal things out.”

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“I don’t want to hand that over to NARA yet and I was very busy as you’ve sort of seen,” he said.

If Trump faces off against President Joe Biden again, his chances could depend on winning voters back who turned on him during his last campaign. But he didn’t have a clear answer when asked how to win over at least one group: independent female voters in the suburbs.

“To the the female independent voter in the suburbs who’s struggled with family financing because of inflation, she’s now against Biden, disapproves of Biden, but wasn’t with you in 2020 and so far is a hard no for you in 2024, what do you say to that female independent suburban voter who feels that way, to win her back?” Baier asked.

“First of all I won in 2020 by a lot, let’s get that straight,” Trump said.

“You know that that’s not what the vote shows,” Baier responded. “You lost the 2020 election.”

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Baier mentioned recounts in swing states that showed there was not significant widespread fraud and more than 50 lawsuits by Trump’s lawyers, some in front of judges he appointed, that found no evidence of widespread fraud.

During the interview, Trump spoke about his plans if he serves a second term, and he said he’d like to be “less combative” but he doesn’t think he could win that way.

“I would like to be less combative but I find the press is extremely dishonest and if I’m not combative I don’t get my word across,” he said. “If I’m not combative, I don’t think you could win.”

Trump said inflation, the border and strengthening the military would be his top concerns during a second term.

He also said his family wouldn’t be involved in his administration if he wins again, as his daughter and son-in-law Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner previously were.

“It’s too painful for the family,” Trump said. “Nobody has been through what my family has been through.”