Former president also posted that to not make claims the 2020 election was rigged would have been in violation of oath of office

Donald Trump began 2024 by attacking the basis for the federal election interference case brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith, before continuing with a screed about presidential immunity and wild allegations about “crimes” committed by President Joe Biden.

The former president posted on Truth Social: “REMEMBER, if I don’t have Presidential Immunity, then Crooked Joe Biden doesn’t have it either, and he would certainly be Prosecuted for his many ACTUAL CRIMES.”

Meanwhile, Mr Trump’s main rivals for the 2024 Republican Party nomination have said they would pardon the former president if they were elected president.

The former president faces 91 criminal charges, many at the federal level and therefore within the chief executive’s power to grant clemency. Both Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have signalled it would be in the nation’s interest to do so.

Mr Trump is also reportedly concerned that some conservative justices on the Supreme Court may rule against him concerning his removal from ballots in two states under the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding public office.