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Former President Trump appeared somber and quiet in a Miami courtroom, hands clasped and leaning back in his chair, at times, speaking aloud only to utter the words, “not guilty” to 37 federal counts stemming from his handling of classified documents.
Astoundingly, it was the second time in three months that Trump has been indicted. And that’s not counting the $5 million civil judgment against him for sexual abuse at the end of April.
There are still two more criminal investigations looming, trials are coming, and Trump continues to be the front-runner for the Republican nomination.
We have some questions. Here are four about what’s next and the politics of Trump’s legal woes:1. What will we see from Trump and his team going forward?
Trump and his team seem to find a certain comfort in chaos. They’ve been here before — heroes who aren’t captured, the Access Hollywood tape, allegations galore, firing an FBI director, the Mueller investigation, two impeachments, top lieutenants who flipped on him or went to jail, election conspiracies and now two indictments and two more criminal investigations to go.
Most would be exhausted by continuing to be in the thick of it, but not Trump.
Instead, he’s trying to make this an opportunity. He has so insulated himself with such a significant portion of the GOP base, he’s banking on increasing his support in the Republican primary.
Immediately after court, for example, Trump took his motorcade to Versailles, a famed Cuban-American cafe in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. It was joyous. He prayed with those in attendance that communism wouldn’t come to U.S. shores, and they sang happy birthday to him. (Today is his 77th birthday.)
It was a hint at the political power Trump retains in some conservative Latino communities, especially in Florida, a state that has moved more Republican in the Trump years.
He’s been raising money off this, using an image of himself in a phony mugshot that’s been posted on his social media site and emailed to supporters. (For the record: no mugshot was taken; he wasn’t put in handcuffs; and only digital fingerprints were taken.)
Hours after his appearance in court, he rallied with donors, attending a campaign fundraiser in New Jersey. And after months of hammering his chief GOP rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his team put out an ad this week featuring Trump against Biden.
The idea is to bill Trump as already the presumptive Republican nominee, hoping to bury any thought of primary voters choosing someone else.2. Will other Republicans vying for the nomination continue to let him slide?
But there are still six, seven months to go before the early nominating states have their say. And plenty of time for rivals to capitalize on Trump’s legal woes.
If only they were.
Most Republicans running against him have been instead trying to walk a fine line — criticizing the Justice Department, while hoping the weight of the myriad charges against Trump prove too heavy.
That’s a risky strategy. Only a few candidates have been direct in their criticism. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have been tough critics from the start.
