Trials at the heart of the campaign

Donald Trump has become the first former US president convicted of criminal charges. Does this “convicted felon” status change the dynamics of the campaign? This is the subject of the 5th episode of Washington d’ici, the original podcast with correspondents from public French-speaking media.

“It’s a shame”, declared Donald Trump on the day of the verdict. The former American president was officially found guilty of 34 counts on Thursday, May 30, following a 23-day trial during which it was a question of falsified documents, secret dealings, money , but also sex.

For Donald Trump, the trial was rigged, presided over by a judge with a conflict of interest and totally corrupt. Nothing surprising on his part, but his conviction took everyone by surprise. “First, this is the only trial [Donald Trump est inculpé dans trois autres procès au pénal, dont deux pour tentative d’inverser les résultats de la présidentielle de 2020.] which took placenotes Guillaume Naudin of RFI, so already, obviously, it’s easier. And indeed, people have been saying for months that this is the weakest case against him (…) There hasn’t really been a debate. We had hesitations for several days: ‘Will there perhaps be a juror who will defend Donald Trump, who reads the New York Post every day and who will defend Donald Trump at all costs?’ Ultimately, the jurors, after a few hours, agreed that Donald Trump should be found guilty of all 34 counts.”

Correspondents from French-speaking public media (MFP) were present in New York to witness this verdict. In front of the courthouse, two camps faced each other: the pro-Trump and the anti-Trump. “It was like the country which is ultimately 50-50explains Jordan Davis, while half of Americans refuse the legitimacy of this verdict and think that it is a plot hatched by Democrats. Even when we see the polls today, the people who judge this verdict, 50% of Americans say they are for it, 50% of Americans say they are against it.”

“We see that this is really what Donald Trump is going to surf on over the next few months until November, this idea that he was the victim of partisan justice that was rigged against him.”

Jordan Davis, RTS correspondent in the United States

Donald Trump guilty, what does that change in this race for the presidency? “The first thing is that in the 24 hours after the guilty verdict, Donald Trump raked in more than $50 million in donations, according to him, explains Sébastien Paour of franceinfo. Afterwards, in the polls, what will it change? We have two candidates, one of the two who is now criminally convicted, Donald Trump, and then, on the other side, we have a President whose son [Hunter Biden, reconnu coupable de détention illégale d’arme à feu]for the first time, is also criminally convicted.”

For Jordan Davis, “It’s still incredible because in this country, being a ‘convicted felon’, God knows, is a hindrance to many things in daily life in the United States. Donald Trump couldn’t even become a beautician in his State that is Florida And there, he can become president without problem. It’s almost a loophole.

It was also a jury trial that ended in a guilty verdict. Hunter Biden was found guilty on Tuesday, June 11, of three counts related to the purchase of a firearm in 2018, when, according to prosecutors, the son of the President of the United States lied on a form compulsory purchase of a firearm by declaring that he did not use drugs or was not a drug addict. A verdict seen differently depending on the Democrats or the Republicans. “For Joe Biden, this verdict was all the more embarrassing because it fell on the day he had to make a speech on limiting the proliferation of firearms in the countryexplains Sonia Dridi of RTBF. But Joe Biden, as we saw, reacted with many more declarations filled with love for his son (…) So, Donald Trump will clearly use this affair, in particular to attack Biden during the debate which will have place at the end of June.”

For Jordan Davis, there was two-tiered justice in the United States, to the disadvantage of Hunter Biden, “But Donald Trump will never accept that, because he says he is the victim, precisely, of political and legal persecution.”

In a few days a first debate will take place between the two presidential candidates in Atlanta (Georgia), on June 27, while they are not yet officially nominated by their respective parties. A highly anticipated first meeting for Jordan David: “I think everyone is waiting for it because ultimately, we are in a very special election this year where both candidates are known. And at the same time, both candidates are aging (…) Everyone will be watching this to see if this octogenarian president will manage to hold on.”

“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 very 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). Director: Jeremy Boisseau (RTBF) and Régis De Rath (RTBF).