Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) told Breitbart News exclusively on Monday afternoon that the trial that Democrats are dragging former President Donald Trump through in New York is only driving more black voters away from Democrats — like President Joe Biden — and toward the Republican Party and Trump.

“There’s no doubt that when you see a nearly 75 percent increase in black men wanting to support President Trump, that’s not an insignificant increase,” Scott told Breitbart News as Trump sat in a New York courtroom facing criminal charges from District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “That is a gargantuan step in the right direction. Why? Because the Democrat stronghold on power is being broken by people who say, ‘This isn’t fair, and I want an America that is fair, and if they will do it to him, they will do it to me.’ So that’s what you’re seeing in the black community from black men, specifically, and, frankly, black women have moved from 2.5 or three percent to 11 percent. We’re talking about a 300 percent improvement. This is all the case not simply because of the desire for a strong, powerful, fair justice system, but when you ask the age-old question of, ‘Am I better off under four years of Trump or better off under four years of Biden?’ the answer is unequivocal economically better off under Trump. Our country was better off in terms of safety under Trump. Fentanyl that’s ravaging communities, better off under Trump. There’s no statistic that matters to people—black people, white people, Asians, Hispanics, women, or men—there’s no statistic where you’re not better off under Trump than under Biden.”

The first day of Trump’s trial was Monday, which began the process of jury selection. While no jurors were selected on Monday, at least 50 prospective ones were disqualified. Trump was in court in New York for the whole day on Monday to face the beginning of the process, and Scott—a possible vice presidential pick for the former president—told Breitbart News in the exclusive interview that this would not be happening if Trump were not running for president. Scott also compared this to the justice system targeting black men because of the color of their skin.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court with his legal team before the start of jury selection on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Jabin Botsford/Pool Photo via AP)

“The simple way of understanding what’s happening is if he was not running for president, he would not be on trial,” Scott said. “That’s why I started with election engineering. The facts of the case are, frankly—the expiration of this being a legal challenge—in and of itself a point we should all reflect upon. Who wants a justice system that chooses the person you go after based on whether you like them or not or based on what office they’re running for or not? Just imagine if this was not about the red party Republicans versus the blue party; imagine that this was a racial issue. Put a black person in the position where the legal system is coming after them because of the color of their skin and because of what they represent for hope in America. That, to me, is the easiest way to understand how disastrous this would be if not for the partiality woven into the system in New York, specifically against President Trump.”

Scott said he thinks what Democrats are doing by encouraging this—Biden himself is clearly cheering it on—amounts to “election engineering.”

“I think of it as election engineering,” Scott said. “They’re literally trying to engineer the results they want by keeping President Trump off the campaign trail. Frankly, it’s an assault on American justice.”

Scott added that he does not believe Trump will get an impartial jury.

“No is the simple answer,” Scott said when asked if the jury that is eventually selected will be impartial. “I do not believe it. Frankly, I believe Bragg—the prosecutor—is not looking for a fair trial. He’s not looking for justice. He’s not looking for Lady Justice to maintain a blindfold. They have been prejudiced this entire time in this entire process; so the one thing you cannot expect is justice to be served.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Michael M. Santiago/Getty)

Scott also ripped Judge Juan Merchan for refusing to rule on a motion by Trump’s attorneys that Trump should be allowed to attend his son, Barron Trump’s, high school graduation in May rather than sitting in the New York courtroom.

“It’s unprecedented and unbelievable and undeniable that stopping a dad from going to his son’s graduation is simply wrong, ridiculous, and un-American,” Scott said. “There’s no there-there, so the entire thing is, in my opinion, already in shambles, but think about what they’re trying to do. They’re not trying to have a fair and judicious process. They’re trying to punish him not through the legal system but by using the legal system as a sledgehammer against him and his family.”

Judge Juan Merchan (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Scott also dismissed a litany of establishment media outlet polls that suggest Trump’s numbers would drop upon a conviction, arguing that those polls are wrong.

“Number one, I think the next president of the United States—the forty-seventh president of the United States—is Donald Trump,” Scott said when asked about the polls. “Number two, why is that the case? Because of the coalition of new voters coming to the party and the ability to maintain the voters we currently have. Then, number three, why is that the case? It’s because Americans are sick and tired of being sick and tired, and, therefore, the result of this absolute injustice system run by Joe Biden and used against political opponents will actually backfire on the Democratic Party and the elite establishment. This is part of it.”