Former President Trump is reliving his tumultuous 2016 campaign in a New York City courtroom as he looks to win the 2024 election and return to the White House.
Trump’s hush-money trial in Manhattan will feature testimony detailing payments to women who say they had affairs with Trump, as well as Trump’s efforts to deal with the fallout from the infamous “Access Hollywood” scandal. It has once again put the spotlight on the unsavory details of Trump’s first presidential bid, including his campaign’s struggles. “tape.
President Trump has been trying hard to convince voters that the trial was politically motivated, accusing the judges of being “inconsistent” and saying that some witnesses and testimonies were not included in the lawsuit. suggests that it is outside the scope of He also suggested that the trial, which requires daily in-person attendance, is a way to distance him from campaign activities.
But his allies said that while aspects of the trial may be personally embarrassing for Trump to relive, the political fallout is likely to be minimal.
“The biggest thing is that he won.” [in 2016]. The second thing is… we’re not learning anything new about Donald Trump on any of these issues,” said Sean Spicer, who served as Trump’s White House press secretary. “It’s not new. The Band-Aid has been ripped off.”
One former Trump White House official suggested that the majority of Americans are not paying close attention to the day-to-day unfolding of events and testimony, suggesting that Trump’s shortcomings in 2016 may not resonate with voters in the short term. It was suggested that the risk of negative impacts was reduced.
Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the New York case. The case centers on a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign, with the purpose of preventing her from going public with the details of the incident. Met. Alleged affair with Trump.
President Trump denies having an affair, and his lawyers point out that the hush money payments themselves are not illegal. They insist the former president did nothing wrong.
Hush money payments and an “Access Hollywood” tape released in October 2016 in which Trump can be heard bragging about groping women are at the center of testimony in the latest trial.
Hope Hicks, a former Trump aide and one of the most high-profile witnesses to date, acknowledged in her testimony that the tape was a “crisis” that left her “very concerned.”
Hicks also testified that Trump expressed concern about how his wife, Melania, would react after learning more about hush money payments made to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
The testimony could strengthen the defense’s argument that the hush money payments were not to protect President Trump’s political fortunes ahead of the election, but to avoid embarrassment for his family.
Mr. Trump’s 2024 campaign is in sharp contrast to his 2016 campaign, when he was an insurgent candidate who fielded aides with relatively little presidential campaign experience. Although the operation has often been plagued by leaks and infighting, the 2024 campaign has been run by President Trump and a close-knit group of trusted advisers.
President Trump has at times appeared irritated by the way the trial dredged up scandal from his first presidential campaign.
The former president said in a social media post last Friday that the judge in charge of the hush-money case made the trial as despicable as possible “even though these things have nothing to do with this bogus case.” He accused her of trying to exploit him.
On Monday, President Trump told reporters outside court that prosecutors had “absolutely no case.”
“Even though they are witnesses they are going to take, they have nothing to do with the case,” he said. “This is an outrageous situation.”
President Trump has argued that the hush money case and three other criminal cases against him since he was first indicted last year are politically motivated and intended to harm his 2024 presidential election. , has persistently insisted.
The former president’s aides and allies are taking to the airwaves to promote the same message, as the Trump campaign seeks to raise money from anger over the criminal case.
“The American people, the outcome of this case will not affect them,” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R), President Trump’s running mate, told CNN on Sunday. “This trial may be a spectacle for cable TV, but the average American has already baked in their thoughts about President Trump and President Biden. They see policy, not people.”
But there are some signs that Trump’s conduct surrounding the 2016 election could complicate the 2024 presidential race if he is convicted.
Ann ABC News/Ipsos voting According to an article published Sunday, 80% of Trump supporters say they would still support Trump even if he were convicted of a felony in the hush money case.
However, 16% of those surveyed said they would reconsider their support for Trump, and 4% said they would withdraw their support for Trump, which could change what is expected to be a close election. be.
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