The Haymarket Square riot case, the Scopes Monkey Trial, and the failed prosecution of Hall of Fame NFL running back O.J. Simpson in a grisly double murder have all shaken America's social fabric over the past 248 years.
But the made-for-screen trial starting Monday in New York is unlike anything the country has seen: Former president and Republican Party presidential nominee faces a jury in a criminal trial that will grip the nation and inflame political vitriol in a divided nation. Donald Trump, the PR genius, calls himself a political prisoner. New York claims he is a common criminal mocking justice with his size.
Earthly details of a wealthy businessman bribing a porn star to keep quiet about their affair will be painted on that ethereal canvas. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said Trump lied about business papers to disguise Stormy Daniels payments. Trump denies sleeping with Daniels and breaking the law when Michael Cohen bought her silence.
Many of Trump's allies and critics, as well as many legal scholars, believe that the New York charges are less consequential to the public interest than the indictments in federal cases involving his retention of classified materials and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, as well as a pending Georgia trial.
Political loudmouths are arguing that he was unfairly targeted because of his political opinions and that his standing as a candidate safeguarded him from criminal prosecution.
The Constitution does not prohibit felons from becoming president. In the GOP primaries this year, several Republicans fretted that a conviction would hurt his prospects of winning a general election rematch with President Joe Biden.
The Politico/Ipsos poll in March revealed that a Trump hush money conviction would “do real damage” to him. One-third of independents said they would vote less for Trump after a conviction, according to the news outlet.
Trump's legal issues swayed Republicans in the primaries. Last year, Bragg indicted him, starting his political recovery. He mostly spoke to GOP primaries' diehards. Democrats have also framed the New York case as election interference, alleging Trump breached the law to win the 2016 election, creating a pattern.
Follow for more updates