Trump will switch between his court proceedings and campaign trail.
The upcoming trial for the previous president will continue in New York City on Tuesday. The prosecutors are seeking to demonstrate that Trump forged business records to hide an alleged affair, which ultimately influenced the 2016 election by misleading the public. They have been cautious about mentioning their witnesses beforehand to avoid any backlash from Trump. However, they are expected to question a former banker who worked with Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney and fixer, who made payments to Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress who claimed the affair that Trump denies. Trump has pleaded not guilty in this case.
To sidestep the court proceedings, Trump will visit Wisconsin and Michigan, both swing states, on Tuesday. This trip will showcase how beneficial it is for a defendant in a legal case to have their own plane. Furthermore, this will be a busy week for the former president in terms of campaigning, and he will likely express his views on the four indictments he is facing. He will accuse the White House directly and claim that these indictments are an attack on him for fighting for his supporters.
Although Trump will be returning to court on Thursday for another hearing, his political events will be more prominent. The contrast between his political presence and his muted behavior in the courtroom will highlight how the 2024 presidential race is heavily influenced by the court proceedings. It will also demonstrate how Trump views his defense in multiple criminal cases as a central campaign theme and believes himself to be a victim of unwarranted persecution.
Trump asserts to his supporters that he is fighting for justice on their behalf, saying, "I am your justice and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution."
Potentially damaging testimony
The initial week of the trial featured damaging evidence against Trump, including detailed accounts of "catch and kill" schemes and financial irregularities.
"It was election fraud. Pure and simple," said prosecutor Matthew Colangelo. In response, Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued, "I have a spoiler alert. There is nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It’s called democracy."
It is still uncertain how the public will perceive a guilty verdict or the outcome if Trump is acquitted. While the trial hasn't managed to gain significant public consensus, it doesn't negate the possibility that a conviction might harm Trump's standing. Moreover, nearly half of the respondents in a recent CNN poll expressed doubts about the jury's ability to deliver a fair verdict. Democratic voters believe Trump is receiving preferential treatment, while the majority of Republicans believe the situation is reversed. There is also a concern for Trump as around a quarter of his supporters indicated that a conviction might alter their outlook on him –although the large majority stated they would not switch their support to Biden.
Focusing on electoral battles in swing states
With his court dates now behind him, Trump will target Wisconsin and Michigan, both crucial swing states, on Tuesday. Though these events will provide a more traditional platform than the courtroom, there is a risk that Trump's unfiltered language during these rallies might lead to more legal complications stemming from previous gag order violations.
While the trial undoubtedly restricts Trump's campaigning opportunities, it does not entirely prevent him from engaging with his base. For example, Trump has postponed a rally scheduled for April 20 in North Carolina due to a dangerous storm. However, his busy week demonstrates the importance of campaigning events, especially in the midst of a legal battle. He is determined to continue supporting his claims and agenda outside the court.
In the meantime, Trump's allies are pushing for the idea of persecution. "I believe all these trials are political. I think it's selective prosecution. I think what's going on in New York is an outrage," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. Overlooking the fact that all the indictments emerged from grand juries and follow established legal process, some of Trump's alleged crimes directly threaten the foundation of America's political system. However, this rhetoric is appealing to Trump's supporters and is constantly repeated on conservative media to hide the real nature of the charges.
Trump's schedule on Wednesday highlights the importance of two states he won in 2016 but lost to Biden in 2020 - Wisconsin and Michigan. CBS News released battleground polls on Sunday, showing the competition between these candidates as tight as ever in both these states and Pennsylvania, a third swing state that Biden flipped from Trump in 2020. Trump's hopes of winning a second term rely heavily on him capturing at least two of these states to reach the 270 electoral votes required. Meanwhile, Biden has been touring the country making campaign stops while Trump remains stuck in New York.
The Trump campaign promotes the former president's visit to Waukesha, Wisconsin, as an opportunity to showcase "the peace, prosperity, and security of his first term in comparison to Joe Biden's failed presidency." However, this might be a difficult argument to make for a twice-impeached former president who attempted to destroy the US democracy to remain in power.
According to a recent CNN poll, Trump's message appears to be reaching some voters, especially amid rising grocery prices, interest rates, and international turmoil. The poll reveals that 55% of Americans view his term as successful, while 61% believe that Biden's presidency is failing. Biden's ratings are particularly poor in terms of the economy, immigration, and his handling of Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas, an issue crucial to young Democratic voters.
Using these campus protests to American voters' discontent, Trump and his allies are already spinning the story of a nation under attack by left-wing extremists. While protests are limited to a minority at each university and don't come close to the scale of the Vietnam War or civil rights demonstrations, the television coverage of police responding to student protests contains powerful footage that can be selectively used to ventilate his aggressive campaign. Elucidating any sense of political instability among voters could attract some of them to his message of the need for strong, forceful leadership. Trump made a controversial comparison last week, stating that the current campus protests were like "a peanut" compared to the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 that resulted in a woman's death. However, the campus protests have been mostly peaceful - a stark contrast to the violent mob of Trump supporters that stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The college demonstrations have split the Democratic Party in two - an issue House Speaker Mike Johnson attempted to widen last week by visiting Columbia University and calling for the National Guard to suppress the protests. This decision highlights the way campaigns invent narratives that may not be entirely accurate but can be highly influential in shaping voters' perceptions. Trump is mirroring a similar strategy by combining his legal defense as a supposed victim of partisan persecution with his political bid for the presidency.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
