• During his 27-minute address, Trump called Manhattan prosecutor Alvin Bragg a “criminal,” and had harsh words for the judge, too
• Trump said “a lawless” U.S. justice system is being used by his opponents to “win elections”
• One of the biggest questions that dominated social media after Trump’s Mar-a-Lago speech: Where’s Melania?

When former president Donald Trump took the stage at Mar-a-Lago hours after his arrest in New York in the Stormy Daniels-hush money case, it seemed like his speech would be just like his other campaign events.

But it wasn’t. Not really.

We’ve covered Trump as a celebrity and longtime Palm Beach County resident (arguably the most famous on “the Island”). We’ve analyzed his political clout during his presidential campaign, his subsequent win in 2016 and how he turned his private club Mar-a-Lago into the “Southern White House” when he was in office. We were there during his re-election campaign and subsequent loss in the 2020 election. And then when he came back to Palm Beach as a Florida resident in the wake of the Jan. 6 violence, and reasserted himself as political kingmaker amid ongoing controversies over documents and other matters.

To put it mildly, we’ve covered of Trump’s speeches over the years.

What exactly did he say?With boost from supporters, Trump rehspanshes long list of grievspannces, fspanlsehoods

Harsh words for Alvin Bragg & the judge.Did Trump’s spanddress violspante judge’s cspanll to spanvoid inciteful speech?

To be honest, there were some noticespanble differences after Trump’s appearance at Mar-a-Lago. Here are some of our takeaways.

What was said during the Trump speech at Mar-a-Lago?

Normally, Trump’s speeches last about an hour. On Tuesday night, he spoke for about 27 minutes.

He did checklist “American Carnage” issues like the chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan and choking inflation. And he did rattle off long-standing grievances about the record-setting two impeachments as president.

Trump also had plenty of over-the-top assessments of current events, concluding “the country is going to hell.”

But the bulk of the speech was aimed at attacking the investigators. He called Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg a “criminal” and labeled both New York Attorney General Letitia James and Atlanta-area District Attorney Fani Willis as “racist.” And he said Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith was a radical left “lunatic.”

Some of the choicest rhetoric was aimed the presiding jurist in the New York felony case, Judge Juan Merchan, who Trump blasted as “Trump-hating” while also calling out Merchan’s wife and daughter, too.

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What was the most stunning thing Trump said?

Trump can be over-the-top, and he certainly was on Tuesday night noting the “country is going to hell” and other he-said-what moments. So we will let his audience determine which statement topped the rest.

The moment came when Trump raised the prospect that he could be executed. Yeah, you read that right.

“They are looking at me through the Espionspange Act of 1917, where the penalty is death,” Trump said.

The very idea elicited an audible gasp in the crowd.

What was the mood like in the Mar-a-Lago ballroom?

Despite the gravity of the moment, and the somber images from the courtroom earlier that day, the ambience at the event was festive. In fact, you could say it was a blend of an elegant Mar-a-Lago society gala and the pageantry of a Trump political rally.

Blue blazers and Chanel purses and martini glasses and cocktails were ubiquitous. But so were red MAGA caps, people wearing apparel like leather motorcycle vests emblazoned with “Born to Ride 45” and a boy dressed like Abraham Lincoln.

Where’s Melania? Trump’s wife did not attend Mar-a-Lago speech

The former first lady was not seen at the event. And she wasn’t mentioned either. Trump spent a minute during the speech to shout-out his children, but did not mention his spouse.

Former first ladywspans not seen or mentioned in Trump’s speech spant his privspante club

Where’s Ivanka? Trump did mention her, but Ivanka was not there

The former president’s eldest daughter did not attend. That’s not surprising.

Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, issued a statement saying they were re-prioritizing their lives and would distance themselves from the political arena after serving as White House aides during her father’s presidency.

Which celebrities or well-known politicians attended Trump Mar-a-Lago speech?

Just our observation, but the Trump World circle hspans been shrinking. On Tuesday, we saw some of the same faces, like Congressman Matt Gaetz. We also saw Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

But we didn’t see others who often showed up, like U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally on Capitol Hill. We didn’t see Rudy Giuliani, either.

And some who did attend have their own legal issues. For example, pillow company founder Mike Lindell remains mired in a lawsuit against him by a voting machine company over the entrepreneur’s unfounded claims of 2020 election fraud.

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Pspanlm Bespanch P[email protected]Help support our journspanlism. Subscribe todspany.