Donald Trump, who is running for President again in 2024, already has a full political calendar. With various legal dramas likely to play out, it is quickly reaching total pandemonium.
The trial for his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election has been set for March 4, the day before Super Tuesday, the most important voting day in the Republican race.
This trial, which would take place in Washington, DC, would take Mr. Trump off the campaign trail during a critical period in his campaign when he could be cementing himself as the Republican standard-bearer or involved in a lengthy battle with one or more remaining challengers.
Mr. Trump’s attorneys have already filed formal complaints about possible trial dates clashing with the presidential campaign, which the former president and his allies have labeled “election interference” by his opponents. They will almost certainly continue to try to get the trial date pushed back. has become an alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election scheduled on March 4, the day before Super Tuesday, the most important voting day in the Republican race.
That trial, which would take place in Washington, DC, would take Mr. Trump off the campaign trail during a critical period in his campaign when he could be cementing himself as the Republican standard-bearer or involved in a lengthy battle with one or more remaining challengers.
Mr. Trump’s attorneys have already filed formal complaints about possible trial dates clashing with the presidential campaign, which the former president and his allies have labeled “election interference” by his adversaries. They will very certainly keep trying to get the trial date pushed back.
While the first presidential election contest in Iowa does not take place until January, the Republican presidential campaign has already begun in earnest. The party has begun to host monthly debates for qualified candidates. The first took place in August in Wisconsin, and Mr. Trump remained out, claiming that an appearance was unnecessary given his enormous polling lead over his opponents.
The schedule, on the other hand, provided an early hint of how his legal worries may influence his political calculations. The former president was formally jailed in an Atlanta jail the day after the debate on allegations of meddling in the Georgia 2020 election.
While much of Mr. Trump’s legal – and political – drama will unfold in 2024, one trial is already slated for later this year.
The civil fraud claim filed by New York state against Mr. Trump and his corporate empire is set to go to trial on October 2nd. Mr. Trump is not obligated to appear in court, but it could be a diversion, especially because it comes only five days after the second Republican primary debate.
Things really heat up as the calendar flips to 2024. The Iowa caucuses, the first Republican presidential nomination battle, are slated for January 15, the same day Mr. Trump’s defamation trial begins. It is the second case brought by writer E Jean Carroll, who previously obtained a $5 million (£3.9 million) judgment from the former president after a jury determined him to have sexually assaulted and defamed her.
Mr. Trump’s New York hush-money case is set to go to trial in late March, just a few weeks after the federal trial in Washington, DC, which is set to begin on January 6th. The federal case involving the mishandling of secret documents is scheduled to be heard in May. That will be after several of the important Republican primaries have been held. However, preparation for those cases, including pre-trial hearings and depositions, will begin months in advance.
Then there’s the Georgia indictment, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis has stated that she hopes to have her sprawling racketeering case against Mr Trump and 18 co-defendants to trial within six months, but that timeline is also ambitious, given that one defendant has requested that the proceedings be moved to federal court and another has requested an earlier trial.
All of the judges sitting over these cases will weigh Mr. Trump’s legal concerns, as well as the campaign timeframe, and attempt to work out a schedule that best satisfies all of the competing interests.
In the second half of 2024, such interests include a Republican national convention in mid-July, as well as the traditional series of presidential debates in early October. At some point, the potential of a trial during or after the presidential election in November becomes a genuine possibility.
The trials, as well as any pre-trial hearings, depositions, and other legal actions, will consume weeks, if not months, of Mr. Trump’s time. He’ll have to plan his campaigning around them, including his beloved huge public rallies. Judges could issue orders limiting what he can publicly say and penalizing him if he does not comply.
Then there’s the amazing financial outlay required to maintain multiple teams of lawyers defending Mr. Trump and his cronies against criminal allegations. Just in the first half of 2023, a Trump-affiliated political committee has spent more than $40 million on legal fees, with the first criminal trial still months away.
These figures will only rise, limiting the amount of money the former president may apply to the nuts and bolts of his campaign, such as grass-roots organizing, television and online commercials, and staff and facility improvements.
It is a tough task for any politician, including Mr. Trump, who has demonstrated remarkable political durability.
