Former President Donald Trump said Sunday he would be "okay" with a sentence or house arrest for his multiple-count felony conviction — but he ominously warned that it could be a "breaking point" for the "public."
"I'm not sure the public would stand for it," he calmly emphasized in an interview on "Fox & Friends Weekend."
"I think it would be tough for the public to take. At a certain point there's a breaking point," Trump said.
As for himself, when asked about a possible "house arrest or even jail" at his arraignment next month by Pete Hegseth, Trump responded: "I'm okay with it," adding that he had told one of his lawyers: "You don't beg for anything."
The comments immediately triggered criticism that his remarks could be seen as much as a suggestion as a prediction.
Parallels were drawn to the violence of the Jan.6 insurrenctionists, who were told by Trump before they stormed the Capitol to "fight like hell." He had earlier urged them: "Come to Washington. It will be wild."
Presidential history expert Michael Beschloss said later on MSNBC that Trump's stock in trade is riling up supporters against his chosen targets.
"This is a thread that goes through Donald Trump back to the early rallies of late 2015. Remember when he used to say ... 'Look at those reporters in the hall; mainstream press are bad people.' The audience would boo and some were worried that there would be violence ... against reporters."
Others complained about Trump's comments on social media.