Donald Trump news today: Ex-president says he will testify at classified documents trial and claims ‘I’m allowed to do whatever I want’

The latest CNN/SSRS 2024 general election polling might make some sobering reading for Democrats, with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump one point ahead of President Joe Biden and a tie predicted with runner-up Ron DeSantis.

Mr Biden is also bested by Mike Pence, Tim Scott, and Chris Christie by two percentage points, but most notably, former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley scores a six-point lead over the incumbent Democrat.

The only potential Republican nominee whom Mr Biden beats is entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Polling was conducted from 25-31 August with a sample of 1,503 respondents including an oversample of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (898 of the total).

Donald Trump is showing no signs of holding back his continued allegations of bias and unfairness against the judge overseeing his January 6 case in Washington, DC, even after being accused of trying to taint the jury pool by prosecutors.

On Truth Social, the ex-president continued to release statements throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday attacking Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith and Judge Tanya Chutkan, the jurist who has now become a target of baseless criticism from conservatives on Capitol Hill — some of whom voted to confirm her to the bench.

As the Trump accountability era continues, Ahmed Baba asks what the lengthy jail sentences handed out to members of the far-right group over their part in the Capitol riot could mean for the former president whose bogus election fraud claim inspired them to act.

Donald Trump has never been more vulnerable.

Without the privileges and prestige of the presidency to protect him, Mr Trump is facing serious lawsuits and criminal indictments across New York, Florida, Georgia and Washington.

Federal officials, local prosecutors, and individuals are going after him for everything from his private conduct to his political maneuvering during the 2020 election. If even just one of these efforts are successful, the US could see its first-ever former president in prison.

Here, The Independent explains each major case:

Mr Trump’s estranged former attorney, Michael Cohen, offered some advice to the 2024 presidential hopeful’s co-defendants in Georgia’s election interference case: “Speak now.”

Mr Cohen appeared on CNN, where he was asked whether he believed that the alleged co-conspirators would eventually break and cooperate with the Fulton County district attorney’s case.

“My hope is that they take a look to see what just happened with Enrique Tarrio, where he got 22 years while the other insurrectionists got 17 years. These are real sentences,” he said, alluding to the former Proud Boys leader who has been jailed for his part in the failed insurrection of 6 January 2021.

In a rare break from the never-ending swirl of slander and scandal that is Magaworld, Mr Trump is being congratulated by American football fans on social media after a clip of him identifying the potential of college star Justin Jefferson way back in 2019 was recirculated.

After Jefferson’s Louisiana State University side the Tigers won the National Championship that year, the president invited them to a reception at the White House at which he proclaimed: “Justin Jefferson had 14 receptions for 227 receiving yards and four touchdowns, a college football playoff record… He’s gonna be so rich. We’re looking at money!”

Now a star at the Minnesota Vikings, the Republican does indeed appear to have called that one correctly, with the side set to make Jefferson one of the highest paid players in their ranks, according to reports.

In addition to bashing Mike Pence online, Mr Trump also told Hugh Hewitt that former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, the GOP candidate most overtly critical of him so far, is “a slob” who “couldn’t run for dog catcher”.

Back on Truth Social, he lashed out at Ann Coulter (brrr, remember her?), calling her “unbearably crazy”, “angry and hostile” and “washed up”.

Also during his appearance on The Hugh Hewitt Show, the Republican challenged Meghan Markle, of all people, to a debate – an offer he still appears not to be extending to his rivals for the Republican nomination.

Mr Trump is still apparently not over the view that Ms Markle was disrespectful to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died a year ago, an opinion he has aired repeatedly in the past.

Meredith Clark has the history of that beef.

The former president appeared on radio’s Hugh Hewitt Show yesterday and said he would testify if the federal case against him over the illegal retention of classified documents post-presidency reaches trial.

Asked by the host what we would say if he were asked under oath whether he ever requested a member of his staff move boxes of secret government documents, he answered: “I don’t talk about anything. You know why? Because I’m allowed to do whatever I want. I come under the Presidential Records Act.”

He was also asked how he could campaign for president in 2024 if he is forced to fight countless legal battle, provoking a waffly answer complaining about the United States becoming a “banana republic” in which honest men are persecuted by their political enemies etc.

Meanwhile, John Bowden reports that FBI could soon be back at Mar-a-Lago to carry out a further search for missing papers.

Donald Trump has lashed out at his former vice president and 2024 rival Mike Pence, claiming he has gone to the “Dark Side” like Darth Vader and is now “making up stories” about him.

Writing angrily on Truth Social, Mr Trump frothed: “Was just watching Mike Pence make up stories about me, which are absolutely false. I never said for him to put me before the Constitution—I don’t talk that way, and wouldn’t even think to suggest it. Mike failed badly on calling out Voter Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election, and based on the fact that he is at approximately 2% in the Polls, with no money or support, he obviously did the wrong thing. His advisors have led him down a very bad path!”

In a follow up post, he added: “For 7 years Mike Pence only spoke well of me. Now he’s decided to go to the “Dark Side.” Why didn’t he do this years before, just like why didn’t DOJ and Deranged Jack Smith bring these Fake Indictments three years ago. Why did they wait until the middle of my Campaign where I am beating DeSanctimonious and all others badly, and beating Biden in almost every Poll?”

Kelly Rissman has the details.