Throughout the lengthy 235 year history of the role of the American president, 45 individuals have held the post. This week marked a historic turning point as Donald Trump emerged as the first among these men to be lawfully declared guilty of committing a crime. This unequaled and disconcerting milestone has added yet another layer of complexity and controversy to his unpredictable political trajectory, once a president and potentially so in the future.
Irrespective of his current status as a legally convicted offender, Trump has no restrictions precluding him from pursuing the presidential office once again. From trial commencement, he and his political confidates have disparaged the entire legal ordeal as a machination of a higher conspiracy. There can be no refuting that the politics of the day had a part in Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney’s choice to press charges against Trump for forged documentation aimed at hiding payments during his 2016 presidential campaign to suppress a sexual misconduct incident.
Nevertheless, it was a jury consisting of his fellow Americans who decreed Trump guilty, based on the evidence laid before them. Republicans, despite this, are attempting to leverage the verdict to fuel a presidential campaigning strategy rooted in deceit, dissatisfaction and vengeance. The efficacy of this approach remains unknown, with both Republicans and Democrats holding their breath for the next series of public opinion polls, waiting to see if Trump’s position over Biden has in any way been influenced. Given the current deeply entrenched and dichotomous state of American politics, a significant change seems improbable.
Debate continues whether Trump is a consequence or the originator of the nation’s political strife and inefficiency, although the answer most probable is both. Being the inaugural president to have undergone impeachment proceedings twice, the first ever to disregard indisputable evidence that his election victory claims were bogus, and the first to incite a violent mob causing disruption in the Congressional proceedings, he has indeed set himself apart in the annals of presidential history. Whilst the US has seen similar leaders in the past, none have escalated to comparable political heights. He persists in being a powerful force within his party and continues to cast a broad influence on the wider political landscape. At present, he is in a good position to replicate a feat accomplished only once before in American history; to serve two non-consecutive terms in office.
On the 11th of July, only four days prior to the commencement of the Republican national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – a significant battleground state, a ruling will be rendered by Judge Juan Merchan. Legal experts are of the opinion that prison time is an improbable outcome, given that this is regarded as the least severe amongst the charges faced by Trump. The other impending cases will not move ahead prior to the electoral process. The fate of these cases, and whether they are reviewed completely may rest on the hands of the citizens of America as they vote in this pivotal election.