As the election in November starts up, Trump is set to face trial in April
Trump will face trial in April. An order by New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan sets Trump’s trial in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case for April 15th after extensive attempts by the former President to delay the trial. It could force the controversial Republican candidate to face electoral and legal consequences in a realm he has no control over.
The Case: Stormy and Donald
The case involving pornographic actress Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford, AKA Stormy Daniels, and the former President have been explosive, both like what is alleged against former president Trump, but also in its implications for the election.
Trump faces thirty-four charges of falsifying business records concerning alleged hush-money payments to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels just before the election. Prosecutor Alvin Bragg’s office accused Trump of attempting to hide what it called “damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.” The charges made public on April 15th, 2023, are part of a larger web of legal allegations against Trump and could force the former President to answer questions he likely wishes to keep buried.
Trump, famous for his defiant attitude, is likely to do everything in his power to use the case as a political weapon. He pled ‘not guilty’ last year, and after the trial date’s announcement, the former President complained about the trial, saying, “I don’t know how you can have a trial that’s going on right in the middle of an election. Not fair. Not fair. It’s not fair at all.”
Trump’s lawyers have argued that the trial needed a delay due to new evidence made available to the defense, prompting the date to be delayed from its original time of March 25th. Trump’s lawyers accused Alvin Bragg and his office of unfairly handling documents. However, Judge Merchan has admonished Trump’s attorneys for making misconduct claims by the prosecution without sufficient evidence.
The newly established order by Judge Merchan suggests that April 15th, 2024, will be the first day in American history that a former president faces a criminal trial.
Consequences For the Election
While it is difficult to fully predict what will happen going forward, especially with the trial, a few things could impact the election results this November.
Trump’s absence from the campaign trail could prevent him from lambasting his opponent as much and lead to a decline in his momentum. With the announced trial date, more of Trump’s time will be spent in his defense and not on the campaign trail. That could also mean less campaign-oriented media attention for the GOP nominee and more attention for Biden, allowing the President to recover in polling. Another component of the trial is its potential for negative attention to Trump’s alleged activity with Stormy Daniels, possibly turning independent voters away from Trump.
Of course, this is speculative, and various factors could still impact the race. The New York Times reported that many Americans still suffer long-term disillusionment with public institutions, suggesting that the government’s failure to communicate with the people during the pandemic adequately may lead to increased hostility towards Biden instead of Trump. However, that also remains to be seen.
What is clear is that Trump is about to face an authority he doesn’t control. He will have to answer to someone other than himself or his base, something he is loath to endure. Unless some form of judicial intervention arrives, Trump will face the one thing he can’t stand: accountability.
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References
Cohen, Luc, et al., 2024. “Trump’s Stormy Daniels Hush Money Trial to Start on April 15, Judge Rules.” Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/trump-ask-judge-delay-or-dismiss-stormy-daniels-hush-money-case-2024-03-25/ (March 25, 2024).
“Donald Trump’s Tangled Web of Legal and Financial Worries.” 2024. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/legal-troubles-former-us-president-donald-trump-2023-10-02/ (March 25, 2024).
Freifeld, Karen, et al., 2023. “Trump Charged with Hush-Money Scheme to Boost 2016 Election Chances.” Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-faces-day-court-historic-us-first-2023-04-04/ (March 25, 2024).
Jacobs, Shayna, and Devlin Barrett. 2024. “Judge Orders Delay in Trump Hush Money Trial until at Least Mid-April.” Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/15/trump-hush-money-trial-bragg-delay/ (March 25, 2024).
Lerer, Lisa et al., 2024. “How a Pandemic Malaise Is Shaping American Politics.” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/24/us/politics/pandemic-politics-malaise.html (March 25, 2024).
“Trump’s New York Hush Money Trial to Begin April 15.” 2024. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/25/trump-new-york-hush-money-trial-hearing/ (March 25, 2024).
Wiederkehr, Ryan et al., 2018. “President: General Election Polls.” FiveThirtyEight. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-general/ (March 25, 2024).
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