'Fact Check!': Donald Trump Slammed After Wrongfully Claiming His Fraud Trial 'Took Him Off the Campaign Trail'

Donald Trump was called out on CNN after implying his ongoing fraud trial was a part of an effort to negatively affect his presidential campaign.

"This was for politics. It has been very successful for them — they took me off the campaign trail," Trump told reporters after court proceedings finished for the day on Monday, October 2. "Because I've been sitting in a courthouse all day long, instead of being in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or a lot of other places I could be at."

CNN personality Dana Bash replayed the clip on the popular news network before slamming the embattled ex-prez for his complaint.

"Fact check. He doesn’t have to be there!" Bash responded after the video. "There is no requirement. He’s not compelled legally to be there."

"His campaign aides make it pretty clear that they think that this is the best campaign stop for him, the best use of his time as a candidate in the short-term, as he could possibly have," she continued. "Despite how painful it might be when it comes to the core of who he is — a businessman."

Salea Mosin chimed in that Trump is "on the campaign trail" through this trial. "He is talking to his electorate, his base, he’s talking to his donors, his supporters when he’s out there saying, ‘Look what they are doing to me.’ He is sewing more seeds of distrust."

"He’s out there saying, ‘Vote for me again. Bet on me. I’m being mistreated by everyone else and I’m your guy.’ And he’s ahead in the polls," the political commentator added. "It’s working for him. So of course, he’s going to stick with that line: ‘You’re not letting me on the campaign trail, so I’m going to do it here in the courtroom.'"

Journalist Jeff Zeleny stated that he believed the whole situation was "deeply affecting" Trump.

"This was not the president who was the most engaged president," he explained. "Often, he didn’t read intelligence briefings, he wasn’t exactly steeped in policy. He is steeped in this. This is his life, this is his core. And you can tell how much it’s getting to him."

"So, I don’t know if that will have an effect on just his psyche here. But separately, outside the courtroom, he’s not under oath," he continued. "When he’s in that witness stand, he will be under oath. So this is something we’ve also not seen from him."

"It looks good politically, it is good politically, but it’s perilous in the long-term here," he noted. "But he’s on a campaign trail, you’re totally right."

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