NEW YORK (AP) — When Donald Trump stands before a judge next week to stand trial in a New York courtroom, it will not only mark the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges. It will also represent a reckoning for the man nicknamed “Teflon Don,” who until now has managed to skirt serious legal jeopardy despite 40 years of legal scrutiny.
Trump, who is the early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is expected to return on Tuesday. He faces charges including at least one felony count related to the payment of money to a woman during the 2016 campaign. Like everyone else to stand trial, he will be booked, fingerprinted and photographed before being given a chance to plead.
The spectacle that is sure to unfold will mark an unprecedented moment in American history that will once again show how Trump – who has become the first president to be impeached twice – has upended democratic norms. But on a more personal level, the indictment dented the cloak of invincibility that seemed to follow Trump through decades in business and politics, as he faced accusations of fraud, collusion and sexual misconduct.
“Boy, after all this time it was a bit of a surprise,” Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio said of the indictment. “You know I always thought of him as the Gingerbread Man, yelling, ‘You can’t catch me!’ when he ran.”
“Given his track record,” he said, “I have trouble imagining that he will be held accountable.”
“This is not something that Donald Trump thought in his lifetime, or I, for that matter, would face,” said Michael Cohen, a longtime Trump fixer and a key witness in the case who was sentenced to prison. payment, told CNN.
Of course, some of the celebration by Trump’s critics may have been premature. The former president may seek to have the judge quickly dismiss the case. And even moving forward, there is no guarantee of certainty. The intensive investigation in Atlanta and Washington appears to be a more serious legal threat.
Still, Trump and his team were shocked when word of the New York indictment broke Thursday afternoon, following news reports that the grand jury hearing the case was set to go on hiatus for a week. As deliberations continue, some in Trump’s orbit have become convinced that the case is dead and the charges will not be brought. That includes Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, who said Friday morning he hoped “the rule of law will prevail.”
Trump, he said on the “Today” show, was “shocked at first” by news of the allegations, but quickly switched to his usual pushback playbook.
“After he finished,” he said, Trump “put his belt on and decided that we have to go to war now. And he’s got a typical Donald Trump posture where he’s ready to be aggressive about what he thinks is unfair. … I think he’s now in a posture that ready for this battle.
In the meantime, Trump and his team have tried to use the news to their advantage, hoping to strengthen their loyal base by painting the investigation as part of a larger plot to undermine his candidacy.
Already, the cost has been a boon to struggling fundraisers. The campaign announced Friday afternoon that it had raised more than $4 million in the 24 hours after the allegations became public, breaking the previous record set after the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.
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More than 25% of donations, according to the campaign, came from first-time donors. Average contribution: $34.
The campaign also continued to pour out supportive statements from dozens of top Republicans who have rallied behind Trump, including some announced challengers and, perhaps, asserting his continued hold on the party. Trump has been in touch by phone with key congressional allies, including members of House leadership and top committees, according to people familiar with the conversation, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the response.
Trump ally Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who officially endorsed the former president on Friday, said Trump “is not backing down” and will “fight back,” saying on a local radio show that “it’s another thing where Donald Trump will come back in the end.
The media maelstrom has pulled the former president back into the desired spotlight, at least temporarily limiting the attention paid to his rivals, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to challenge Trump for the nomination, and has held events around the world. district to promote his book.
Trump aides have discussed other ideas to escalate the situation, including the possibility of holding a press event before or after the arraignment. Trump is expected to travel from Florida to New York on Monday and stay at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan before heading to court early Tuesday. He will return to Florida after his arraignment.
Trump has long denied that he had a sexual relationship with the porn actor known as Stormy Daniels and has criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for pursuing the years-long case.
Trump is also facing an ongoing investigation in Georgia, due to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and in Washington, where the special counsel is investigating the events of January 6, 2021, as well as the handling of Trump’s secret documents in March. -a-Lago and the potential obstacles of the investigation.
But Sam Nunberg, a former longtime aide who broke with Trump years ago, said that while he no longer supports Trump, he believes the Manhattan case is a “waste of time,” because of the indictment, which remains sealed. And he said he doubted it would end up being a problem.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” he said of the indictment. “What would have surprised me was that he ended up in jail and I didn’t see that happening.”
D’Antonio said that sentiment — and the belief that Trump will win and avoid the impeachment — continues among many people who have reached out to him in the last 24 hours, despite the allegations.
“He was like, he’s going to get away with it,” she said. “No, he’ll be thrown out.”