Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan Court, New York, began on Monday. For the first time in history, a former American president finds himself in court for a criminal case. What could be the impact of this trial in the election which pits him against the current president, Joe Biden? This is the subject of the third episode of Washington d’ici, the original podcast with correspondents from French-speaking public media.
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Reading time: 22 min
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Six and a half months before the American presidential election, Donald Trump is campaigning from the Manhattan courthouse. The former president and candidate for the 2024 American presidential election has been on trial since Monday April 15 on 34 charges, including “falsification of accounting documents. He faces up to four years in prison.
The facts date back to 2006. At the time, Donald Trump, already married to Melania Trump, was having an extramarital affair with a former porn star, Stormy Daniels. Ten years later, a few days before the 2016 presidential election, he tries to buy his silence so as not to tarnish his campaign.
Stormy Daniels then receives $130,000 from Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. Having bought his silence is not illegal, but the amount paid by Donald Trump’s lawyer does not appear in his company records or in his campaign accounts. Justice accuses the ex-president of having disguised this reimbursement, and therefore, of being guilty of falsifying accounting documents.
“And the prosecution is going to make these accounting crimes something more serious. The prosecution says that it was an attempt to interfere in the election. This is the link that they will try to make and which will give a added gravity to these charges.”
Jordan Davis, RTS correspondent in the United States
But before judging the former president, a challenge arises: finding 12 jurors and six alternates capable of judging Donald Trump with “impartiality” . A real test because as Guillaume Naudin, special correspondent in Washington for RFI, explains: “The ideal person is a person who would have been in a coma for 12 years, who wakes up in great shape, who would have no opinion on what happened during the last three presidential elections.
A “political persecution” for the ex-president
But then what impact could this trial have on the November 5 elections which will pit him against current American President Joe Biden? What is certain is that the Republican candidate is determined to occupy the media space through this trial. He uses the media coverage of the affair to give the same speech as in meetings when speaking after the hearings. For him, this trial is part of the “political persecution” that he suffers, and justice is not “not credible”. A political platform that works: with each of his speeches, he climbs in the polls. The radicalization of his supporters is worrying.
“This particularly worries the intelligence community. I recently spoke with former CIA Director John Brennan, who clearly told me he was concerned.”
Sonia Dridi, RTBF correspondent in the United States
While awaiting the verdict of the trial which should arrive in mid-June, Donald Trump is ordered to participate in all the hearings at the Manhattan Court. A sentence could therefore be imposed before the November election. If he risks up to four years in prison, Donald Trump could be a candidate, or even elected, from prison, because American law does not provide for ineligibility, even in the event of a criminal conviction.
“Washington d’ici” is a podcast from French-speaking public media. Once a month, correspondents from franceinfo, RTBF, Radio-Canada, RTS and RFI decipher, in their own way, the latest news from the campaign for the 2024 American presidential election. With Sébastien Paour (franceinfo), Jordan Davis (RTS), Frederic Arnould (Radio-Canada), Sonia Dridi (RTBF) and Guillaume Naudin (RFI). (RTBF) and Régis De Rath (RTBF).