Donald Trump was defiant in his first public appearance since being indicted on 37 criminal counts tied to his handling of classified documents, telling an audience of Republicans that the charges were “ridiculous and baseless”.Speaking at an event in Georgia hosted by the state’s Republican convention, Trump said the indictment would “go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country”. The former president is seeking to drum up support for his third bid for the White House ahead of a potential match-up with Joe Biden for the 2024 presidential election under a cloud of legal problems.

“Biden is trying to jail his leading political opponent — an opponent that’s beating him by a lot in the polls, just like they do in Stalinist Russia or communist China,” Trump said. 

The former president has been accused of breaking seven different federal laws. The charges unsealed on Friday include 31 counts linked to violations of the Espionage Act, specifically the wilful retention of national defence information without authorisation. He is also facing allegations of conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.