BEHIND THE SCENES AT TRUMP ORG: 'I CUT CHECKS'...

Trump has repeatedly complained how the trial has prevented him from hitting the campaign trail. But instead of firing up his base in swing states over the weekend, the presumptive GOP nominee opted to attend a Republican National Committee event to fire up deep-pocketed donors.

Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Saturday, Trump didn't hold back, likening the Biden White House to a “Gestapo administration.”

“And it’s the only thing they have,” said Trump, according to audio obtained by The New York Times. “And it’s the only way they’re going to win, in their opinion, and it’s actually killing them. But it doesn’t bother me.”

On the comparison to Nazi Germany's secret police force, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates in a statement: “Instead of echoing the appalling rhetoric of fascists, lunching with Neo Nazis, and fanning debunked conspiracy theories that have cost brave police officer their lives, President Biden is bringing the American people together around our shared democratic values and the rule of law — an approach that has delivered the biggest violent crime reduction in 50 years.”

The Republican retreat was also apparently something of a pageant to help Trump choose his 2024 running mate: Senators Marco Rubio (Fl.), J.D. Vance (Ohio) and Tim Scott (S.C.) were among those flaunting their stuff.