NEW YORK (AP) — When Donald Trump goes before a judge next week to be arraigned in a New York courtroom, it won’t just mark the first time a former U.S. president has faced charges criminal. It will also represent a showdown for a man nicknamed the “Teflon Don” who has so far managed to avoid serious legal danger despite 40 years of legal scrutiny.
Trump, who is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, is expected to drop out on Tuesday. He is accused, including at least one felony, of making payments to women during his 2016 election campaign. Like anyone else facing trial, he will be fingerprinted and photographed before he has a chance to testify a declaration.
The unfolding spectacle is sure to mark an unprecedented moment in American history that will once again demonstrate how dramatically Trump — who already held the distinction of being the first president to be impeached twice — has changed democratic norms. But on a personal level, the indictment pierces the cloak of invincibility that seemed to follow Trump throughout his decades in business and politics as he faced allegations of fraud, collusion and sexual misconduct.
via the Associated Press
“Boy, this is a bit of a shock after all this time,” Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio said of the accusation. “You know, I always thought of him as the gingerbread man, yelling, ‘You can’t catch me!’ while he ran away”.
“Given his track record,” she said, “it was hard for me to imagine him ever being held accountable.”
“These are not things that Donald Trump has ever thought about in his entire life, and I, for that matter, have never faced them,” said Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime fixer and a key witness in the case who served prison time for payments. . Cnn.
Of course, some of Trump’s detractors’ celebrations may be premature. The former president could ask a judge to quickly dismiss the case. And even if it goes ahead, there is no guarantee of conviction. The growing investigations in Atlanta and Washington are seen as a potentially more serious legal threat.
via the Associated Press
However, Trump and his team were caught by surprise when news of the New York indictment broke late Thursday, following reports that the grand jury handling the case had been set for a break of several weeks. As the deliberations dragged on, some in Trump’s orbit became convinced that the case was deadlocked and that they might never be charged. That included Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, who said Friday morning that he hoped “the rule of law will prevail.”
Trump, he said on the “Today” show, was “initially shocked” by news of the allegations, but quickly switched to his usual playbook of denial.
“After going through this,” he said, Trump “put a notch on his belt and decided we have to fight now. And he’s gotten into a typical Donald Trump posture where he’s ready to be combative about something he thinks is an injustice. … I think he’s in a position now where he’s ready to fight.”
Meanwhile, Trump and his team tried to use the news to their advantage, hoping to energize his loyal base by portraying the investigation as part of a larger plot to derail his candidacy.
Yes, the charges were a boon for fundraising. The campaign announced Friday that it raised more than $4 million in the 24 hours after the allegation became public, far surpassing the previous record set by the FBI’s probe of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
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More than 25 percent of donations, according to the campaign, came from first-time donors. Average contribution: $34.
His campaign also continued to release statements of support from dozens of senior Republicans who rallied behind Trump, including some of his stated and likely challengers, underscoring his continued hold on the party. Trump has been in telephone contact with key congressional allies, including members of House leadership and senior committees, according to people familiar with the conversations, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the response.
Trump ally Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who formally endorsed the former president on Friday, said Trump is “not backing down” and will “kidnap,” telling a local radio show that he is “a another chapter in which Donald Trump will finally come out on top.
The media frenzy catapulted the former president into the spotlight he craves, at least temporarily limiting attention to his rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to challenge Trump for the nomination and has held events around the world . the county to promote its book.
Trump aides discussed other ideas to maximize the situation, including holding a press event before or after the impeachment. Trump is expected to travel from Florida to New York on Monday and stay overnight at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan before going to court early Tuesday. He returns to Florida after the indictment.
Trump has long denied having a sexual encounter with the porn star known as Stormy Daniels and accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing the years-old case.
Trump also faces ongoing investigations in Georgia into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and in Washington, where a special counsel is investigating the events of January 6, 2021, as well as Trump’s handling of classified documents. March. -a-Lago and the possible obstacle to the investigation.
But Sam Nunberg, a former longtime adviser who parted ways with Trump years ago, said that while he no longer supports Trump, he believes the Manhattan case is “a waste of time” given the allegations , which remain under seal. And he said he’s skeptical it will ultimately matter.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” he said of the accusation. “What would surprise me is if he actually ends up behind bars in prison, and I don’t think he will.”
D’Antonio said the sentiment — and a continued belief that Trump will somehow prevail and dodge the charges — continues among the many people who have contacted him in the past 24 hours, despite the allegations.
“I’m like, he’s going to be fine with it,” she said. “In a way, it’s going to kick him out.”
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