ATLANTA — Former President Donald Trump predicted that the criminal case against him in Fulton County would be "terminated" because he said it lacks credibility.
The likely GOP nominee spent part of the afternoon at a private fundraiser with former U.S. Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler at the St. Regis Hotel – very upbeat about his campaign and the criminal case against him in Fulton County.
He was buoyant as he emerged from his branded airliner at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – especially compared to his Atlanta visit last year, where his destination was the Fulton County Jail.
The Republican was here to raise money for his rematch with Democrat Joe Biden. Trump told reporters at the airport he is untroubled that Biden’s campaign is outraising and outspending his.
"You know Hillary (Clinton) had twice the money that we had (in 2016). And how did that race turn out?" Trump asked. "No, we don’t need the same (fundraising) but we could get as much."
Since clinching their nominations, Trump and Biden had widely divergent campaign spending in late March. NBC News reported Biden spent nearly $5.5 million on TV ads in six states including, Georgia. Trump spent $34,000, only in Georgia.
Trump left the airport for a mostly unscheduled stop at a Chick Fil-A store in the West End, just a few blocks from the Fulton County Jail, where the former president had a mugshot taken following his election interference indictment last summer.
"Hello, everybody. Get ready for a milkshake," he told a room of diners.
Trump ordered 30 milkshakes for customers in the room. Moments earlier, he had predicted that his prosecution in Fulton County would fizzle before it ever gets to trial.
"District Attorney Fani Willis has been totally discredited. That case should end. And I think it’s a big insult to Georgia that the case is going forward," Trump said. "I suspect that case is going to be terminated because it has absolutely no credibility."
Trump is charged with leading a criminal enterprise to interfere with the results of the 2020 election. Trump’s visit blocks away from Atlanta’s historically Black colleges also came with a pitch to Black voters to turn away from Democrats.
"I’ve done more for the Black community than any other president since Abraham Lincoln. Maybe including Abraham Lincoln. But since Abraham Lincoln. And it looks like our polling is very good in the state of Georgia overall so we’re very happy about it," Trump told reporters at the restaurant.
Trump has said this before; historians have objected to him comparing himself to the president who ended slavery in America.
Black voters have been among the most reliable voters for Democrats historically, though Trump would like to change that in 2024.