Trump insists he will ‘absolutely’ testify at criminal trials

Former President Donald Trump says he plans to testify in his own defense when his criminal cases go to trial next year.

The 77-year-old faces a total of 91 charges across four criminal cases — all as he seeks another term in the White House.

If convicted on all charges, the 2024 Republican frontrunner faces a mind-boggling 712 years and six months behind bars.

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” Trump said Wednesday in an interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show.

“I look forward, I look forward to testifying. At trial, I’ll testify,” he insisted.

However, the ex-commander-in-chief, who attacked special counsel Jack Smith as “deranged,” told Hewitt that he wouldn’t preview all of what he’s prepared to tell jurors.

“If you do and they ask you on the stand, did you order anyone to move boxes, how will you answer?” the talk show host asked.

“I’m not answering that question for you, but I’m totally covered under the law,” Trump responded.

“If you read the Presidential Records Act, just read it. You take a look at it. I’m totally covered under the law. It’s a civil act. It’s civil. Now Biden had no civil act,” he continued.

“The things he did are criminal. But he doesn’t have a deranged person on his case. You know, they gave me deranged Jack Smith. He’s got a man who’s a normal person. What can I tell you?”

The embattled former president also slammed President Biden, 80, as unfit to lead the country.

“His body is shot, and his mind is worse,” Trump said.

“And yet, he seems to want to do it. And I hope he does it. But he seems to want to do it. But you take a look at him, and he’s not running the government. People that are surrounding him, who are very smart fascists and communists, those are the people running our country.”

Trump and Biden are neck-and-neck in 2024 polling despite the former president’s legal woes.

Trump’s first scheduled trial is the federal case related to his actions to challenge the 2020 election and will begin March 4, 2024, in Washington, DC — just one day before the critical “Super Tuesday” presidential primaries, which can effectively cement victory for nominees.

Trump is scheduled to face his second criminal trial in New York City beginning on March 25, 2024, in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s novel business-records case related to alleged hush money payments.

His third scheduled trial, for allegedly mishandling classified records, is scheduled to begin on May 20, 2024, in Miami.

Trump’s fourth trial in Atlanta on state charges related to trying to reverse his narrow loss to Biden in Georgia hasn’t yet been scheduled, though one of his 18 codefendants, Ken Chesebro, will go on trial Oct. 23, 2023, in an early test for prosecutors.