OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump has revealed where he likely will land once he’s done with his political career, which he hopes will be later rather than sooner.
The announcement came after receiving an endorsement from the National Rifle Association last week ahead of his guilty verdict in Manhattan. The occasion marked another significant moment in Trump’s enduring relationship with gun owners.
“I want to move to Texas and I want to retire in Texas… a lot of people are moving to Texas,” said Trump, who visited the state 18 times during his presidency and 13 times after his tenure in the White House.
It is unclear whether Trump’s statement was a definitive commitment or a gesture of camaraderie to his supporters. However, it aligns with his previous decision to relocate from New York to Florida during his presidency.
Trump moved to Mar-a-Lago in Florida because of its appealing climate and favorable tax benefits—a practical move he might consider again with Texas.
At the convention, Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX), rallied thousands of attendees, urging them to cast their votes for Trump in the upcoming 2024 presidential race to safeguard their Second Amendment rights. The convention hall was buzzing with energy as Trump and Abbott addressed a sea of NRA members, many of whom were wearing iconic red caps and attire adorned with images of the former president.
“The NRA has stood with me from the very beginning, and with your vote, I will stand strong for your rights and liberties,” Trump said. “I heard it a few weeks ago that if gun owners voted, we would swamp them at levels that nobody’s ever seen before. I think you’re a rebellious bunch, but let’s be rebellious and vote this time.”
Meanwhile, one of Trump’s attorneys in the hush money case in Manhattan explained what is most likely to happen next during an appearance on Fox News following the Thursday verdict.
Todd Blanche spoke to host Jesse Watters as he explained the options the former president has to appeal the 34 felony convictions.
“Do you believe that Donald Trump’s constitutional rights were violated?” the host said.
The attorney said yes and spoke about the gag order that prevented his client from showing the connections between the judge and the Democrat Party.
“That affects not only President Trump, that affects every voter, whether they’re going to vote for President Trump or against President Trump. That affects every single voter in this country because they don’t get to hear from the candidate,” he said. “We very much disagree with that order. We appealed that as well.
“There was a lot about what happened over the past year that, you know, I sit here tonight, the verdict just came down today, but really there’s a lot that’s happened over the past year that I think that Americans should look very hard at,” the attorney said.
“Just that the whole way this case was charged. The district attorney says that this type of case is a bread and butter, that they do these cases all the time. That is not true. It’s just not true,” he said as he explained that Bragg’s office downgraded more than half of the felony charges against suspects to misdemeanors.
“This is a case that the records of President Trump’s personal records, his personal checkbook from 2017 — from 2017, is what he was on trial for. That does not happen all the time. That doesn’t happen all the time in Manhattan. That doesn’t happen all the time in any jurisdiction in this country,” Blanche continued.
“And that’s fine. That’s fine if you want to indict somebody and go after somebody for conduct that happened in 2017. But I think where it becomes problematic for me as a lawyer, is don’t look me in the eye and say, ‘this is bread and butter. We do this all the time. That we’re treating President Trump like we treat anybody else. like we treat anybody else.’ That’s not true,” he said.