The recent trend of rolling bottles downstairs to see how long it will take one to break has been given a US political makeover, with even the Democrat party latching onto it on social media. The party’s Twitter account posted a version of the video comparing different bottles to Republican rivals. Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump got an orange one – a jar, in fact – which rolled loudly and defiantly down the stairs until it eventually smashed spectacularly. Democrats will hope for a similar result in real life. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Ron DeSantis got a small bottle of brown liquid, which quickly met a sticky end, while Mike Pence had a relatively sedate bottle, which fizzled out in a rather unspectacular fashion. Other candidates, somewhat realistically, smashed on the first step down. It comes after it emerged Trump, who is widely considered president Joe Biden’s greatest threat in the 2024 election, will face criminal trial next year for retaining national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago property and obstructing the justice department’s efforts to retrieve them. The May 2024 trial date set by the US district court judge Aileen Cannon took a middle ground between prosecutors’ request for a trial this year and Trump’s suggestion to delay proceedings until after next year’s election. Trump was charged last month with retaining national defence information, including US nuclear secrets and plans for US retaliation in the event of an attack. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Joe Rogan said, 'It was the first time that I ever had said anything where I really felt like I didn’t want to do anything without it'

'Unsellable Houses' Season 4 star Leslie Davis excels in negotiations while her twin sister Lyndsay is good at designing and renovation

Former president Donald Trump delivered a defiant speech in North Carolina on Saturday night despite being indicted just days before, taking swipes at the Justice Department, the investigation that led to the indictment and even his Republican opponents. Mr Trump took the stage at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro for the North Carolina GOP Convention, where he received an overwhelming reception despite his increasing legal woes. The Independent first reported that the Justice Department was ready to seek an indictment agianst Mr Trump, who now faces 37 charges related to his improper handling of classified materials. A federal grand jury under the supervision of special c ounsel Jack Smith indicted Mr Trump on on a slew of charges, including showing highly classified information to unauthorised people on two separate occasions. Mr Trump proclaimed his innocence onstage in North Carolina, calling the indictment a plot by “the radical left Democrats” and their “lawless partisan prosecutors.” “They say, well, we want to run against Trump, in the meantime, we got 5,000 prosecutors after us because they don’t want to run against us,” he said. “We beat them the first time, we did much better the second time.” The speech was Mr Trump’s second in the day at a state party convention. Earlier in the day, he spoke at Georgia’s state party convention, where he excoriated Mr Smith and the probe that led to the former president’s second criminal indictment. Mr Trump called the indictment a “witch hunt,” like the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election as well as his first and second impeachment. “It’s called election interference,” he said. “Remember, it’s not me they’re going to go after when you think of it.” Mr Trump then used his indictment to make the case that he is the best-qualified Republican because he’s able to absorb the blows and scrutiny, arguing that other GOP hopefuls would not be able to stand the onslaught. “That person will not be able to withstand the fire,” he said. “And they come to me, ‘How do you stand this?’ And I usually look at them and say, ‘In a sick way I sort of enjoy it.” The former president criticised the media for not focusing on supposed corruption from President Joe Biden and his administration or the fact that President Joe Biden president found classified documents at the Biden Centre at the University of Pennsylvania and his private residence in Delaware. The difference between the incumbent president and his predecessor is that Mr Biden and his legal team quickly alerted the US government of the records and expedited their return. Mr Trump, according to prosecutors, went to great lengths to prevent the handover of classified material in his possession. As the 2024 GOP races comes into focus, Mr Trump also used the speech to attack his main rival for the Republican nomination, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, whom he has taken to calling “Ron DeSanctimonious” or DeSantus for short. “We are leading Desanctimonious by massive numbers,” he said. “He’s heading south quickly. No personality. You gotta have a personality to win. He’s got no personality.” The former president credited himself with getting Mr DeSantis elected governor in 2018 as he endorsed the then-congressman in the Republican gubernatorial primary that year. Mr Trump’s words came despite the fact that Mr DeSantis decried the indictment of the former president, arguing that it showed a two-tiered system of justice. Earlier in the day, former president Mike Pence addressed a much smaller ballroom here, accusing Mr Trump of backing down from the fight against abortion despite the fact he nominated the justices who overturned Roe v Wade. But Mr Trump took credit for the victory of the conservative and anti-abortion movement. “What I did by killing Roe v Wade, which everyone said was impossible,” he said. “Number one, we got it sent back to the states. And number two, and very importantly, I gave you power to negotiate. You had no power before.” The former president repeated some of his more popular lines such as banning gender-affirming care for transgender youth and railing against vaccine mandates in schools. Mr Trump ended his speech with a defiant tone ahead of his court date in Miami next week. “These radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections using law enforcement,” he said. “It’s totally corrupt and we can’t let it happen. This is the final battle.” Read More Trump news – latest: Trump rages at ‘joke’ indictment and says DeSantis can’t win 2024 with ‘no personality’ Trump attacks special counsel Jack Smith in post-indictment speech with bizarre claim Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Residents of Washington D.C. reported hearing a loud boom across a wide area on Sunday but fire department

The European Union is ramping up political pressure on Serbia and Kosovo to normalize their relations

A Vietnamese company planning to build an electric vehicle plant in North Carolina that would employ 7,500 workers has reached a milestone

WASHINGTON U.S. President Joe Biden said he was not worried about 2024 election challenges after Republicans on Wednesday

Tens of thousands are expected to attend a march against anti-Semitism in Paris on Sunday amid bickering by political parties over who should take part and a surge...

Record-breaking wildfires in Canada are heading toward key population centers in the country’s west, prompting the province of

By Ayenat Mersie and Mukelwa Hlatshwayo NAIROBI (Reuters) -Mohamed Ali doesn't believe gay Africans exist. He says homosexuality is a

Donald Trump has been indicted four times this year but the latest charges -- in Georgia -- may carry particular...