In a June 2, 2026 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said President Donald Trump “absolutely” would have gone to prison if he had lost the 2024 election. The stark assessment came during Blanche’s appearance on Hannity’s “Hang Out” podcast, where Trump’s former personal attorney offered a striking view of the legal pressures his onetime client faced as a candidate.
Blanche described the criminal exposure confronting Trump at the time as a “minefield.” According to him, the 34 felony convictions in New York City were just one element. A federal case in Washington, D.C. had been “breathing down his neck,” he said, while another federal case in Florida had been dismissed but was under appeal. Blanche also claimed the New York judge was intent on imposing a prison sentence regardless of circumstances.
When Hannity asked whether it was accurate to say Trump faced “the White House or the big house,” Blanche responded immediately. “Yes! Oh yeah, absolutely,” he said.
From Defense Attorney to Top Cop
Before becoming the nation’s top law enforcement official, Blanche served as Trump’s personal attorney and defended him through multiple legal challenges. His rise from defense counsel to acting attorney general represents one of the more unusual career paths in recent legal history.
Trump’s victory in the 2024 election prevented the prison sentence Blanche says was inevitable. The judge ultimately did not send Trump to prison after his electoral win. Blanche told Hannity that “the consequences of 2024 for this country are priceless. But for him and his family, also priceless.”
The Trump administration, which began on January 20, 2025, when the president was inaugurated alongside Vice President JD Vance, has placed Blanche in a position where he now oversees investigations that touch on his former client’s adversaries.
A DOJ Probe Into the Grand Juries
During the podcast, Hannity asked whether the Justice Department was investigating the grand juries that had targeted Trump. Blanche confirmed a probe is underway.
Hannity suggested the investigation centered on whether a pattern existed aimed at dismantling “one man, one family, one organization.” Blanche agreed, stating that investigators would need to prove a pattern of politically motivated legal attacks but expressing confidence that doing so wouldn’t be particularly difficult.
The remarks are likely to intensify debate, with Trump supporters seeing confirmation of political persecution and critics viewing the comments as evidence of a politicized Justice Department.
The E. Jean Carroll Angle
Blanche’s podcast appearance came approximately one week after the Justice Department launched a separate investigation examining whether E. Jean Carroll committed perjury during her sexual assault civil suit against Trump. The investigation focuses on a discrepancy: Carroll testified in a 2022 deposition that she had not received outside help funding her case, but LinkedIn co-founder and prominent liberal donor Reid Hoffman later publicly stated he had helped bankroll the litigation.
Blanche has recused himself from the Carroll investigation due to his prior role representing Trump in Carroll-related legal proceedings.
White House or the Big House
Beyond the Carroll matter, Blanche continues to face complications from his earlier career. He is still contesting a malpractice lawsuit from former clients dating back to his days at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, before he represented Trump.
Despite these challenges, the acting attorney general has embraced a highly visible role. He has made high-profile announcements, including unveiling charges against an Iranian-Iraqi national in a terror case.
For listeners of Hannity’s podcast, the central message was clear: According to Blanche, Trump’s 2024 election victory wasn’t merely a political triumph. In his view, it was the only thing standing between Trump and incarceration — a binary choice he articulated with unwavering certainty.