Trump news today: Trump fumes about Jack Smith’s date for Jan 6 trial ahead of hearing on protective order

Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Thursday hit back at critics who have questioned why he, a Republican, would welcome President Joe Biden to his state rather than make a show of publicly snubbing the US chief executive over policy disagreements.

Mr Cox, who was among the official greeters who met Mr Biden as he disembarked from Air Force One on Wednesday, addressed the question of why he’d chosen to attend the president’s arrival when he spoke on Thursday ahead of Mr Biden at an event to mark the anniversary of the PACT Act, a piece of bipartisan veterans’ care legislation which the president signed into law last year.

Mr Cox said he’d welcomed him to the Beehive State on behalf of its more than three million residents.

“Anytime we get the opportunity to have a president of either party in our state, we appreciate this amazing opportunity that we have to collaborate to work closely together, to push back on policies with which we disagree and to find areas of common ground,” he said.

A court hearing will take place at 10am ET today on the matter of a protective order in the criminal case over the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Last week, special counsel Jack Smith’s office had requested a protective order in the federal criminal case limiting what Mr Trump can publicise about the case.

Such an order would not stop Mr Trump from commenting on the case altogether, but would simply prevent him from disclosing evidence such as secret grand jury materials.

The request specifically referred to a seemingly threatening Truth Social post from the former president where he wrote: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”

On Monday, Mr Trump’s defence team filed a motion pushing back against the protective order, claiming that his political rivals are campaigning off the back of his legal troubles.

They also claim a protective order would violate Mr Trump’s right to free speech in what they say is “a trial about First Amendment rights”.

Instead, Mr Trump’s defence is asking the judge to narrow limits of a protective order so that his right to free speech is protected.

Mr Smith’s office quickly filed a motion in response, accusing the former president of trying to “litigate this case in the media”.

Now, Judge Tanya Chutkan has ordered that a court hearing will take place to hear arguments on the matter. Mr Trump is not required to attend the hearing.

Former prosecutor Renato Mariotti has claimed Jack Smith is using insights he gained from his role at the Hague to bring Donald Trump to justice for his role in the 2020 efforts to overturn the election.

Mr Mariotti cited Mr Smith’s stint in the Hague, where he played a role in prosecuting authoritarian leaders prior to becoming the special counsel in the cases against Mr Trump.

“I think he understands the way an authoritarian can use these soft methods of increasing their power and staying in power,” Mr Mariotti said on Thursday on MSNBC to anchor Ari Melber.

Former President Donald Trump said the world has “never been nastier than it is now” during an interview on Newsmax on Wednesday night as multiple criminal cases against him proceed.

Midway through an answer to a question in which he was speculating on Ron DeSantis’ odds of winning the 2028 Republican nomination for president, the former president veered into a broader philisophical take on the state of the politcal world.

“You don’t walk into anything,” Mr Trump said. “This is a tough world in politics. This is a nasty, nasty world, as we found out. Probably it’s never been nastier than it is right now. Because we have sick people. We have sick people in office, and again, they are a bigger problem than the outside world.”

Mr Trump’s comments on the perceived nastiness of the world come as he is facing charges in three separate criminal cases: one in New York, for his alleged participation in a hush money payment scheme; one in Florida for his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House; and one in Washington, DC for allegedly inciting the January 6 Capitol riot.

Donald Trump‘s campaign is seeking to blunt the efforts of a super PAC supporting rival Ron DeSantis‘ presidential campaign by sending a letter to all state Republican parties on Thursday arguing that they cannot work with a super PAC as if it is representing a candidate.

David Warrington, an attorney for Trump’s 2024 campaign, contends in the letter that a super PAC, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, should not be allowed to undertake traditional campaign activities that directly benefit a candidate or “act as de facto campaign arms.”

While the letter does not specifically cite the well-funded Never Back Down organization, it’s aimed at the super PAC, which has been taking on an expansive role supplementing DeSantis’ campaign, such as helping voters fill out cards pledging to support him in Iowa’s caucuses and hosting the governor as a “special guest” on multi-city bus tours.

The letter is the latest example of the efforts by Trump, the early frontrunner in the crowded GOP primary, to use his influence across state Republican parties to solidify his position. He has also been particularly aggressive in encouraging the parties to advance rules that favor him in the process of selecting delegations that will ultimately decide the GOP nominee next year.

Prosecutors pointed out that one of Mr Trump’s lawyers, Evan Corcoran, has long represented the ex-president in matters relating to his efforts to overturn his election loss.

“The defendant has a greater and more detailed understanding of the evidence supporting the charges against him at the outset of this criminal case than most defendants, and is ably advised by multiple attorneys, including some who have represented him in this matter for the last year,” they said.

“The Government’s proposed schedule and January 2 trial date afford the defendant many months to review the discovery in this matter, raise pre-trial legal issues, and prepare his defense. No additional time is necessary or warranted under the Speedy Trial Act and in light of the public’s strong interest in a prompt trial”.

Donald Trump’s lead attorney made a series of TV and media appearances in the days after the former president was federally indicted for three criminal conspiracies and the obstruction of the 2020 presidential election.

John Lauro said his client’s alleged actions were protected by the First Amendment. He floated a possible defence strategy in an upcoming trial. And he claimed that the former president, who is accused of committing crimes while in office, is “immune” from the case that federal prosecutors have brought against him.