Martyrs of America's Forgotten Citizens

On Thursday afternoon, just before 5 p.m. local time, a historic event happened at 100 Center Street in New York City. The grand jury at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse voted by a majority to indict Donald J. Trump. Lives in Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida. This was confirmed by the office of the responsible district attorney Alvin Bragg.

This is the first time in US history that a former president has been indicted. What exactly is in the indictment was initially unclear on Thursday evening. This will only be made public when Trump appears in New York for the indictment. That will probably happen next week.

US media speculated that it is 34 points. In an initial reaction, the accused himself described the indictment as “political persecution and electoral interference at the highest level in history”. Trump wants to run again in 2024 as a Republican candidate in the presidential election. In the polls, the 45th president is clearly ahead of his competitors for the primary elections.

The allegation is that Trump secretly paid $130,000 in hush money to former porn actress Stormy Daniels through his attorney Michael Cohen in 2016, violating campaign funds disclosure. Daniels previously claimed he had an affair with Trump in 2006. According to the then Republican candidate, the public should not find out about this shortly before the election. Trump denies everything, although Cohen has already been convicted of the payments.

Trump's attorneys said Thursday that their client "did not commit any crimes. We will vigorously fight this political persecution in court.” Ten days ago, you made it clear to the court that your client would not resist a summons. The 76-year-old will probably cooperate, travel from Florida to his native city and be treated like your average criminal suspect. Including the infamous mugshots.

Scenes that are probably very convenient for the ex-president. Trump drew attention to the charges himself when he called on his supporters to protest almost two weeks ago on his True Social platform. "The overwhelmingly leading Republican candidate and former President of the United States of America will be arrested next Tuesday. Protest, take back our nation!” he wrote.

Trump stylizes himself as a victim of the liberal Democrat establishment, especially that in New York. While the city is sinking into crime, according to Republicans, the police and judiciary have been engaged in political show trials.

The reactions of Trump's inner-party competitors also show that the events are making an impression on the right-wing base and are thus using Trump's position in the competition for the candidacy for the 2024 election.

Ron DeSantis, who is believed to have the best chance against Trump, also sided with him. “The instrumentalization of the justice system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It's un-American. The Manhattan District Attorney, backed by (George) Soros, has continually bent justice to devalue crimes and condone criminal behavior. Now he's even stretching the right to target a political opponent," the Florida governor wrote on Twitter.

His state would not accommodate an extradition request given "the questionable circumstances," he added. However, Trump seems to want to compete in New York anyway.

A look at history shows how unique the events in New York are: only three times since 1776 incumbent presidents have had to face impeachment. The most recent was for Trump in 2021. But neither case resulted in a condemnation by Congress. That could now change with the New York court case.

However, experienced observers were surprised that the Stormy Daniels case is now becoming a showdown. An initial investigation had not led to any result that would have led to an indictment. Only at the second attempt did a grand jury appointed by prosecutor Alvin Bragg decide that the evidence was sufficient.

There are currently other investigations that could become more dangerous for Trump. One alleges that after the November 2020 election, the then President pressured an election officer in Georgia to find additional votes in the crucial state. The Republicans narrowly lost Georgia to the Democrats. Just last week, Trump's attorneys in Atlanta made extensive submissions to formally block this process.

The second investigation revolves around the extensive investigations surrounding January 6, 2021, when Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol to prevent Joe Biden from being formally confirmed as US President. The Justice Department appointed a special prosecutor. The committee responsible found Trump guilty of criminal activities. The ex-head of state could have to face several charges.

Third, investigations are ongoing into Trump's illegal keeping of classified documents from his time in the White House at his home in Mar-a-Lago and not returning them.

All three cases are highly complex. It is unclear if and how charges could be brought. Even if this happens, the procedures would be lengthy. And give Trump ample opportunity to portray himself as a victim of the establishment and a martyr to America's forgotten citizens.

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