(New York) The sentencing of Donald Trump, convicted of criminal charges in New York in May, was postponed Friday until after the US presidential election, a major victory for the Republican candidate.
The former president, convicted in an accounting case involving former adult film actress Stormy Daniels, will not be sentenced until November 26, rather than in September, a judge ruled early this afternoon.
PHOTO MARKUS SCHREIBER, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Former actress Stormy Daniels
Judge Juan Merchan’s decision came just minutes after Donald Trump gave a rambling speech about his legal troubles.
The former president had called reporters to a news conference at one of his New York properties, Trump Tower, for no particular reason.
Sporting his traditional red tie, he spoke in a jumble about his civil trial for sexual assault and his criminal conviction: “witch hunts” to prevent him from being elected, according to him.
PHOTO STEFAN JEREMIAH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Without taking any questions from the press, the septuagenarian, seeming particularly annoyed, also attacked his lawyers, who were sitting around him staring into space, saying they were “disappointed” with their work.
Without taking any questions from the press, the septuagenarian, seeming particularly annoyed, also attacked his lawyers, who were sitting around him staring into space, saying they were “disappointed” with their work.
It was only after 40 minutes of this singular tirade that the Republican began to mention his rival Kamala Harris, assuring that he was “well ahead” in the polls for the presidential election on November 5.
Opinion polls are much more nuanced on this question, placing the two candidates neck and neck for the time being.
After this speech, the Republican must set off for North Carolina, one of the most contested states in the presidential election, where the sending of the first mail-in ballots has been postponed by a judge’s decision.
He will speak before a powerful police union.
The former president blames Joe Biden and the vice president for a crime wave linked to illegal immigration, which statistics deny.
PHOTO JACQUELYN MARTIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
According to media reports, Kamala Harris is expected to make a few public appearances before the televised debate.
Security and immigration remain subjects on which Kamala Harris lacks credibility, according to several polls.
Preparation for the debate
His campaign team sought to respond on Friday by releasing a letter of support signed by police officers.
“In November, Americans will have to choose between someone who has spent his life enforcing our laws and someone who has been convicted of breaking them,” the message read, referring to the Democrat’s former career as a prosecutor and her opponent’s criminal conviction in the case of concealed payments to the former adult film actress.
Donald Trump, who is being prosecuted in several other cases, in particular for having tried to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, will hold a campaign rally on Saturday in Wisconsin, another highly contested state in this indirect universal suffrage election.
Her rival set up camp in Pennsylvania on Thursday, her base camp to prepare for the debate with her Republican opponent, organized on September 10 by the ABC channel in Philadelphia.
The vice president, who has given only one interview since entering the race, is also giving an interview to a Spanish-language radio station on Friday at midday.
Big money
According to media reports, she is expected to make a few public appearances before the televised debate, breaking with Joe Biden’s strategy of disappearing from the radar for several days to prepare for his June confrontation with Donald Trump, during which he completely lost his footing.
The fifty-year-old will be able to rely on a substantial war chest.
Her campaign team announced that it had raised $361 million in August, “three times more” than the opposing camp, she assures.
The Democrat has a reserve of fresh cash of 404 million dollars, less than two months before an election that is causing pharaonic spending on both sides, notably on electoral advertising.
Donald Trump’s campaign team had reported $295 million immediately available.