Former US President Donald Trump has called his indictment for mishandling classified documents a "vicious persecution".
Mr Trump addressed a rally at the Republican convention in Georgia, speaking publicly for the first time since his indictment.
He said he is facing a “vicious persecution” because of his popularity and second run for US President.
“[President] Biden is trying to jail his leading political opponent,” he said. “An opponent that's beating him by a lot in the polls - just like they do in Stalinist Russia or communist China."
Mr Trump also said the forgotten men and women of American will be “forgotten no longer”.
“We're going to evict a totally corrupt President, Joe Biden, from the White House,” he said. “We're going to finish the job that we started - the most successful presidency.”
Indictment
Mr Trump has been charged with mishandling hundreds of classified documents after leaving office in 2021 - some relating to US nuclear secrets and military plans.
He is accused of storing thousands of sensitive files in a bathroom, ballroom, and bedroom, at his Mar-A-Lago home in Florida.
The 49-page indictment carries 37 charges, with some charges carrying a 20-year prison sentence.
The former US president denies claims he willfully defied demands by the Justice Department to return classified documents.
Mr Trump’s spokesperson Liz Harrington said the charges are “politically motivated”.
“Everything in this indictment is fruit from a poisonous tree,” she said. “They never had any criminal basis to do a general warrant into Mar-A-Lago and take illegally President Trump's property.”
WA6143 President Donald J. Trump speaks during his campaign for the election next year in Manchester.The current US president is travelling around the country to host rallies for his supports and preparations for the 2020 US presidential election.Political strategist Rick Wilson said Mr Trump’s supporters will take his word at face-value.
“They have come to believe that nothing else matters except this one guy, this one leader in their lives,” he said.
“Trump has a very high chance of becoming the Republican nominee and not an inconsiderable chance of becoming president again if we're not careful.”
Mr Trump has been ordered to appear at a federal courthouse in Miami on June 13th and is expected to surrender himself to authorities beforehand.
