The billionaire’s guilty verdict means that the U.S. will face an existential choice in November. With Joe Biden, it will remain a democracy; with Donald Trump, the democracy will be called into question.
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 . . . ” said Donald Trump after leaving the courthouse in Manhattan on Thursday. A moment earlier, the jury had found him guilty of all 34 charges related to falsifying accounts during the 2016 election campaign.
Trump could have reacted differently. He could have said that he recognized the verdict of the American justice system, even if he believed that it didn’t disqualify him from participating in the elections. However, he decided to question the credibility of the entire system of the rule of law in the U.S., and that’s fundamental.
Trump has been found guilty of all 34 charges of falsifying business records. Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over the case, is scheduled to announce his verdict on July 11. Trump could face up to four years in prison.
The conviction of the former president is a great triumph of the rule of law in the most powerful country in the world. It shows that despite the enormous political polarization and the extraordinary influence of big money on politics, the U.S. remains a country where, ultimately, everyone is equal before the law. At a time when Vladimir Putin is trying to rebuild the Russian Empire, Xi Jinping is turning into the new Mao, and in Europe the far right is on a roll, the news from New York is great news for the free world.
But the joy could be short-lived. Trump himself has made it clear that in five months, Americans will face an existential choice. They will either bet on a convict who undermines the rule of law and when he gets back to the White House, will do anything to destroy it. Or they will elect the president who for four years has been trying to consolidate democracy not only in the U.S., but also abroad.
The verdict on whether Trump wanted to lead a coup — and rigged an election — will be made only after the presidential election
Even now, despite Thursday’s ruling, the rule of law in the U.S. is not doing as well as it might appear. The verdict announced in Manhattan is primarily due to the outstanding prosecutor, Alvin Bragg, who managed to convince the jury of his arguments. But these are the least important of the charges that Trump faces.
In the other three more serious cases against the former president, the situation is no longer as good. The billionaire-friendly Supreme Court has contributed enormously to the fact that the sentences will be handed down after the November election. Only then will we know whether the Republican candidate is guilty of the attempted coup in January 2021 and rigging the elections in November 2020.
It is also unclear what impact the ruling in New York will have on the presidential election outcome. Judge Merchan will announce the sentence on July 11, a few days before Trump’s nomination as the Republican nominee. It could be up to four years in prison.
A small number of voters in several key states will decide who will become the next president.
Such a sentence will not prevent Trump from running for office. It will certainly further mobilize his staunch supporters, but at the same time, it will probably discourage more moderate ones who are hesitant to vote for a Republican.
What will prove more important? All we know is that every vote will count. An NPR public radio poll on Thursday shows that today, 50% of Americans would vote for Biden, with 48% for Trump. However, the result is within a statistical error. On the other hand, the portal Axios, citing data from both election headquarters, indicates that the outcome of the election will be decided by only 6% of eligible voters in seven key swing states: Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Georgia. Such are the consequences of the American electoral system, in which the winner takes all the votes of the so-called great electors in each state.
A few thousand people in November will decide whether the head of the most powerful country in the world will be a criminal or an honest man — and what fate will await the free world.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.