Trump criminal case marks further intensification of partisanship and social division in the United States
Xinhua News Agency, New York/Washington, April 4thXinhua News Agency reporter Sun Ding Xingyue Liu Yanan
Former U.S. President Trump appeared in court in New York, New York on the 4th, becoming the first former president in U.S. history to be criminally prosecuted.
American experts and media believe that the Trump criminal case, which has received much attention, marks the further intensification of partisan struggle in the United States and the further division of American society, adding uncertainty to the 2024 US presidential election.
appear in court
Trump arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Court on the afternoon of the 4th. After registering relevant information, Trump was taken to the court without handcuffs. After the court appearance, Trump flew back to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He then delivered a speech there saying he “never thought something like this would happen in the United States.”
This is Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, USA, taken on March 22, 2017.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Ying
According to the indictment released by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and is accused of falsifying business records to conceal negative information and illegal activities from voters before and after the 2016 US presidential election. The indictment cited three scandalous “hush payments.”
Trump pleaded not guilty during his court appearance. Trump attorney Todd Branch accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of “political prosecution” of Trump.
Trump previously called on supporters to protest to “take back our country” and warned that the United States could face “death and destruction” if he was criminally prosecuted. These remarks have aroused concerns in American society about the recurrence of the “Capitol Hill riots” in 2021, and New York City was once highly tense.
In the park directly opposite the Manhattan Criminal Court building, Trump supporters and opponents gathered. Although the two sides were separated by a fence and the police, they shouted and became emotional. Trump supporter Paulina Farr said in an interview with a reporter from Xinhua News Agency that the US judicial system is corrupt and there are political motives behind the prosecution of Trump. Trump opponent Tony Weller said Trump should be held accountable.
Deepen the tear
At present, Trump is also facing several other criminal investigations at the federal and state levels, involving his role in the “Capitol Hill riots” and his handling of confidential documents when he left office as President of the United States. Trump has denied wrongdoing.
This is part of the written testimony submitted to the court when the FBI applied to search the Mar-a-Lago estate, the residence of former President Trump, taken on August 26, 2022.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie
Although there are obviously different views on Trump within the Republican Party, the overall attitude around Trump’s criminal prosecution for the “hush money” case is the same-accusing Democrat Bragg of abusing his power and “weaponizing” the judiciary against Trump. political attack”. The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Kevin McCarthy, said Congress will hold Trump’s prosecutor accountable.
White House Press Secretary Karina Jean-Pierre did not directly comment on Trump’s indictment and response at a regular press conference on the 4th, saying that this is not the focus of US President Biden.
U.S. Attorney and Former U.S. Attorney Ankush Kaduri Writes in New York Times: Trump’s Criminal Indictment Sets ‘Dangerous Precedent’ – Prague Is First to File Criminal Charges Against Former U.S. President District Attorneys, but probably not the last — Future Democratic presidents could also be the subject of criminal prosecutions and investigations by Republican District Attorneys after they leave office.
A commentary on the website of the French “Les Echos” pointed out that the political ecology of the United States has intensified divisions, making the division of responsibilities between the executive, legislative and judicial systems increasingly blurred, and people’s unprecedented loss of confidence in the judicial system.
influence campaign
Trump lost to Biden in the 2020 presidential election, but refused to admit defeat, insisting that there was massive fraud in the election that year. In November last year, Trump officially announced that he would participate in the 2024 presidential election. He is currently a strong contender for the Republican presidential nomination. The “Washington Post” article believes that Trump’s criminal prosecution has brought uncertainty to the 2024 US presidential election.
A new Yahoo News and Opinion poll shows that Trump has 57 percent support among Republican voters and Republican-leaning voters, 26 points ahead of second-place Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. percentage point. Two weeks ago, Trump held an 8-point advantage over DeSantis in this poll.
Former U.S. Congressman and Republican Lee Zeldin said Trump’s criminal indictment has given him more solid support in the Republican Party and will help him win the primary election and win the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 . An adviser to the Trump campaign team also claimed that they received more than $8 million in political donations within four days of the news of Trump’s criminal prosecution being made public.
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American public opinion claims that being criminally prosecuted or even convicted will not necessarily hinder Trump from running for president, but Larry Sabato, director of the Political Research Center at the University of Virginia, predicts that when it comes to the presidential election stage, these criminal cases will not help Trump. Trump and the Republican Party. Trump could also be subject to multiple criminal prosecutions, which would add up to a big problem.