Fox News Hosts Argue Over Donald Trump Going To Prison

Two Fox News hosts have clashed over whether Donald Trump is afraid of going to prison, following three failed attempts by the former president to delay the Stormy Daniels hush money trial this week.

Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with payments made to adult film actress Daniels before the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The trial is due to start on Monday April 15.

In a high-energy exchange on Wednesday’s The Five, co-hosts Jessica Tarlov—a Democratic strategist—and Jeanine Pirro—a former New York state judge and prosecutor—focused on Trump’s apparent efforts to delay going to court in a total of four criminal cases.

Tarlov said: “He [Trump] is doing his darndest to make sure that he doesn’t have to show up in any of these courtrooms because he’s definitely afraid of what’s going to happen there.” Pirro interrupted by saying: “He’s not afraid of anything.”

“Oh, big man, not afraid. Whatever,” Tarlov replied, to which Pirro added: “I know him. He’s not.” Without missing a beat, Tarlov continued: “You do know him and I don’t know him, but I don’t think that that man who doesn’t even want to sleep in a hotel bed wants to go to jail.”

Tarlov was referring to the fact that during the 2016 campaign trail, Trump had a reputation for flying home to sleep in his own bed after rallies, rather than opting for budget hotels.

Aside from the charges involving Daniels, the three other criminal indictments are: an alleged mishandling of sensitive documents in Florida and two alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, one federal and one in Georgia. Trump denies wrongdoing on all counts and says he is the target of a political witch hunt.

As well as being the first of the four, the hush money trial will be the first-ever criminal trial of a former president.

In Trump’s latest delaying bid, on Wednesday, his lawyers motioned to push back the Stormy Daniels hush money trial while an appeals court considers New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan’s rulings that struck down previous requests to postpone the case. The motion was dismissed by Associate Justice Ellen Gesmer.

On Tuesday a judge had rejected another Trump effort to push back the start. That followed another previous failed bid on Monday, shot down by Judge Lizbeth Gonzalez.

Newsweek emailed spokespeople for Tarlov and Trump and contacted Pirro via Fox News for comment out of normal business hours on Thursday.

Trump repeated his denial of all wrongdoing in a post made to Truth Social on Wednesday.

“The White House Thugs should not be allowed to have these dangerous and unfair Biden Trials during my campaign for President. All of them, civil and criminal, could have been brought more than three years ago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is an illegal attack on a Political Opponent. It is Communism at its worst, and Election Interference at its Best. No such thing has ever happened in our Country before.

“On Monday I will be forced to sit, GAGGED, before a HIGHLY CONFLICTED & CORRUPT JUDGE, whose hatred for me has no bounds,” he continued. “All of these New York and D.C. ‘Judges; and Prosecutors have the same MINDSET. Nobody but this Soros Prosecutor, Alvin Bragg, wanted to take this ridiculous case. All legal scholars say it is a sham. BIDEN’S DOJ IS RUNNING THE CASE.

“Just think of it, these animals want to put the former President of the United States (who got more votes than any sitting President!), & the PARTY’S REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE, IN JAIL, for doing absolutely nothing wrong. It is a RUSH TO THE FINISH. SO UNFAIR!”

Newsweek emailed Biden’s office for comment out of normal business hours on Thursday.

During the Fox News clash, Tarlov shared her thoughts on the upcoming election, as Trump and President Joe Biden prepare to face off against each other in November, both having secured places as presumptive nominees in the primaries.

Focusing on claims of political interference, she said: “To say that Joe Biden is the threat to democracy, considering what Donald Trump and his band of lawyers tried to pull off in 2020, is complete insanity.”

“He dispatched lawyers all over the country to overturn a free and fair election. A lot of them have pled out to doing this, a lot of them are still to face trial, and he is doing his darndest to make sure that he doesn’t have to show up in any of these courtrooms because he’s definitely afraid of what’s going to happen there.”

Donald Trump’s office has been contacted for comment on this by Newsweek.