Todd Starnes Shares He Warned Trump to Flee NYC Before Verdict: “Get Out!”

Ahead of a crucial verdict in his criminal trial regarding alleged hush money payments, former President Donald Trump received calls to leave New York City. Newsmax host, Todd Starnes, urged the Republican nominee to flee the state as the 12-member jury deliberated on the case. Starnes tweeted , “President Trump needs to get out of New York City RIGHT NOW! Fly back to Mar-a-Lago or another state that will provide him safe harbor.” The prophetic tweet went viral as news of Trump’s conviction made waves.

Starnes, known for his numerous anti-LGBTQ rants, including claims that bans on conversion therapy would outlaw the Bible, has been less prominent since he departed from Fox. The MAGA pundit’s recent suggestion came amid forecasts of an imminent arrest for the businessman-turned-politician, aligning with the anticipated verdict. The extent of the punishment is expected to be determined on July 11. It could be a fine or a sentence of up to 4 years.

Trump was found guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments ahead of the 2016 presidential elections. District Attorney Alvin Bragg claimed that Trump funneled money to adult film actress, Stormy Daniels , through his former attorney, Michael Cohen . Trump has repeatedly called for its dismissal and has been vocal in his criticism of New York State Supreme Court Justice, Juan Merchan.

In the days leading up to the verdict, Trump deemed the trial as ‘rigged’ on his Truth Social handle, on multiple occasions. “I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE CHARGES ARE…THERE IS NO CRIME!” the Republican posted. As per the Independent , addressing the press outside the courtroom, Trump had ranted, “The judge, who, as you know, is very conflicted and corrupt. Because of the confliction, very, very corrupt. Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged.”

On Wednesday, May 29, Judge Merchan asked the jury to commence deliberations after a brief routine instruction. Subsequently, the jurors sent two notes to the judge. The first note requested to rehear testimonies from Cohen and David Pecker, while the second note asked to review Judge Merchan’s instructions, CNN reported. In his instructions, Judge Merchan detailed the charges, the prosecution’s responsibility to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, definitions of terms such as ‘enterprise’ and ‘intent’, and what actions could constitute ‘unlawful means’. He added, “It’s not my responsibility to judge the evidence here. It’s yours.”

Earlier this month, White House legal representative, Ty Cobb, told Semafor , “If the jury begins deliberations Tuesday afternoon, expect a verdict no later than Friday afternoon. I expect a ‘guilty’ verdict, but only because the jury instructions as urged by the DA and adopted by the judge, over strenuous and well-founded defense objections, virtually require conviction.”