As expected, the indictment of former President Donald Trump in the case involving actress Stormy Daniels is making waves that will transform the upcoming presidential race. Candidate for the Republican nomination since last November, Trump becomes the first president in American history to be accused of criminality.
On April 4, Trump showed up at the Manhattan courthouse amid a tense atmosphere and all the major media watching to be formally charged with 34 felony counts by New York State Attorney Alvin Bragg. . These essentially consist of exposing the falsification of declarations and corporate documents in the context of a payment made to Mr.me Daniels in exchange for his silence.
The former president chose to plead innocent. The same evening, back in Florida, he delivered a fiery speech to his supporters, presenting himself as the victim of a “witch hunt” and of a country where “justice no longer exists”.
It was a typical Trump speech where he portrayed himself as the victim and in which he aired a host of grievances against American justice and its alleged deterioration since his election defeat. His attacks on Attorney Bragg, the Democratic Party as well as President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, were particularly fierce. He also described himself as the target of the FBI and the Federal Department of Justice.
Unsurprisingly, he reiterated that the 2020 election result was not legitimate. Then, in a surge of conspiracy, he hammered that “everything is done to prevent him from becoming president again” in 2024.
The reaction of the Republicans
Overall, the Republican Party is onside with Trump’s position. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy, several other elected officials from the party as well as six Republican governors have questioned the approach of the New York prosecutor and his alleged bias against Trump.
Florida Governor and potential opponent of Trump for the Republican nomination, Ron DeSantis, candidate Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and other Republicans considered moderate, such as Senator Mitt Romney, his former rival Jeb Bush and Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, joined the Trumpists in questioning the merits and relevance of the charges coming from New York State.
In a fairly limited way, it should be noted that some have stood out by criticizing Trump. Former Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson also announced his candidacy for president, saying a criminally charged candidate was not the solution for the future of the Republican Party.
The only shadow for Trump was the silence of Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. That being the case, it is fair to say that Trump has strengthened his position with his party in the short term. His organization has since claimed to have raised more than $10 million for his campaign from the rumor of his indictment. Polls also show a marked increase in his support among Republican activists.
Trump in court
It is too early to conclude that Donald Trump will emerge a winner from this saga. Certainly, he will continue to present himself as the victim, and it is obvious that his adversaries within his party currently seem unprepared.
But unlike his speeches in front of his most ardent supporters, his untimely interventions in social networks or his interviews with the Fox News network, Donald Trump cannot dictate his preferences to a prosecutor, a judge or a grand jury.
Beyond the charges that have been filed against Trump by the New York justice system in this case, several other investigations are currently underway against him. These include possible interventions to change the outcome of Georgia’s 2020 election, the raid on Mar-a-Largo to recover classified records, and others related to the events of January 6, 2021. If indictments emerge from these investigations, much more serious charges could be filed, such as obstructing federal justice and possible other federal crimes.
Obviously, we must not forget that the presumption of innocence exists in everything that happens. However, Donald Trump, who lives in a world where he is used to controlling everything that revolves around him, has just been offered an expeditious dose of reality. In a democracy where the rule of law prevails, the law applies to everyone and no one has control of the judicial system, even former presidents. As proof, he is now an accused in criminal justice.