On 1 August 2023, a congressional committee recommended that Donald Trump be indicted in federal court for conspiracy and attempted election fraud. Many Americans are afraid that he may again escape punishment. Can only the voters stop Donald Trump by not reelecting him?
German newspaper readers wonder why the American people is supporting a man who was impeached twice during his presidency. Since then, the former US president has had to answer for his actions in various American courts. There is a trial in New York on charges of falsifying business records, an indictment in Florida on charges of mishandling classified documents, and allegations of attempting to rig the 2020 presidential election – not to mention cases of Donald Trump’s personal misconduct.
States United Democracy Center
August 2023: America incites Donald Trump
At the beginning of August, the Attorney General’s Office opened a federal case against Donald Trump. The federal court in Washington D.C. accused him of committing four crimes related to the transfer of power to his successor: He is charged with conspiracy to prevent the peaceful inauguration of Joe Biden as the new president of the United States of America.
Jack Smith, the special prosecutor, who was appointed to the Trump case by Attorney General Merrick Garland in December 2022, accurately describes in his indictment how Donald Trump’s post-election efforts amounted to a conspiracy. The president-elect attempted to defraud America. He also interfered with the constitutional process of Congress to confirm Joe Biden as the newly elected president of the United States. Equally serious is the fact that Mr Trump tried to undermine the right of every American citizen to vote for their president in a universal, free and direct election. In some countries, this would be called treason.
The prosecution argues that Mr Trump’s claims of voter fraud are „false“ and that he „knew they were false“. Mr Smith proves his allegations that Donald Trump planned to overturn the results of the election even though he knew he had legally lost the vote: He provides a list of names of officials, advisers and lawyers who confirmed that they had explained this fact to Mr Trump.
After 18 months of investigation, the congressional committee recommended that the Department of Justice initiate legal proceedings against Donald Trump. He will be charged with the most serious crime in a democracy – conspiracy against the state.
Can Donald Trump still be president?
Any citizen charged with such serious crimes would withdraw from public life. German politicians would no longer run for office. Not so Donald Trump. He publicly complains about his unfair treatment and compares the ministry’s actions to those of „Nazi Germany in the 1930s“.
Surprisingly, Donald Trump’s chances of becoming the next American president are not yet over. The reason for this is that the American constitution only requires four qualifications for presidential candidates: According to article II of the Constitution, presidential candidates must be born in the United States, have reached the age of 35 and have resided in America for at least 14 years. The 22nd amendment adds that the candidate must not have been elected twice to the presidency. Nothing prevents a candidate who is in trouble with the law, or even convicted, from running for president. The person could even run from prison.
Donald Trump’s strength
Donald Trump’s greatest strength is his ability to obfuscate reality. He is extremely active on social media, initially posting his short messages on Facebook and Twitter until these platforms blocked his account. Now he provides his fans with his version of the truth via his own platform, Truth Social. If anyone disagrees with him, he accuses them of treason or spreading fake news. He has coined the term ‚alternative truth‘.
Another aspect of Donald Trump’s influence is that he always manages to bring old American values into play. For example, just one day after a jury found Mr Trump guilty of sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll, a columnist and author, he was able to use the whole affair to his advantage on national television. He celebrates this „wonderful day“, praising the importance of family and law and order, and acknowledging American greatness and pride. Mr Trump celebrates the American attitude to Christianity, patriotism and hard work. His advantage is that Americans are willing to forget everything that has happened once these values are brought into play.
Even though he lost in court and was fined millions of dollars, the former president is still the frontrunner in the presidential election.
Donald Trump’s poll numbers
According to polls in the United States, far more Americans think the ex-president has done a better job than the current president. Voters blame Joe Biden for starting his presidency in the midst of a recovery – which Mr Trump credits – and by which time two-thirds of the jobs lost during the Corona pandemic had been recovered. So, according to the voters, Mr Biden is more responsible for rising prices than for job creation.
Donald John Trump polarises and always manages to build a stage on which to shine. He loves to present himself in his favourite role – as the victim of obscure, partisan forces that seek to drag him through the mud in order to protect the ruling upper classes. This, of course, pleases the average American citizen.
So who or what could stop Donald Trump from becoming the next president of the United States of America? Many politicians and journalists are in agreement: Only politics – not the law – can stop him.
To the German translation of this article: Warum lieben Amerikaner Donald Trump?