Former U.S. President Donald Trump will appear in person at the trial on charges of overturning the 2020 presidential election on the 9th (local time). Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the starting point of the Republican presidential primary race, there is analysis that he is trying to use his judicial risk to rally votes by publicly asserting the existing presidential immunity.
Former President Trump said on social media on the 8th, “I will attend the federal appeals court argument regarding presidential immunity,” and claimed, “I was entitled to immunity as the President of the United States or Commander-in-Chief.”
Previously, former President Trump’s team appealed to the federal appeals court after the Washington, D.C., federal district court rejected its claim of immunity for attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Former President Trump, who refused to appear at the Trump Organization’s loan fraud trial, announced that he would voluntarily appear in court even though attendance at the trial was not mandatory.
Former President Trump also insisted on presidential immunity and urged dismissal of the charge of overturning the Georgia presidential election results. Former President Trump’s side said, “Since 1789, no president has ever been criminally prosecuted for acts committed while in office,” and that this prosecution is unconstitutional. The argument is that during his presidency, he can only be punished by impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate.
However, former President Trump’s immunity claims are being rejected one after another. Following the Federal District Court in Washington, D.C. last month, on the 8th, the Federal Court of Appeals in Manhattan, New York, dismissed former President Trump’s claim of immunity in the defamation suit filed by E. Gene Carroll, who claimed that he had been sexually harassed by former President Trump. Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell also said, “Former presidents have no immunity from both criminal and civil liability.”
Despite this situation, some point out that former President Trump’s decision to personally attend the trial was aimed at emphasizing his image as a ‘victim of a witch hunt’. CNN pointed out, “The sight of former President Trump juggling between court appearances and campaigning is a metaphor for this year’s presidential election, which is entangled in judicial risk.”
With presidential election fever hot from the start, political consulting firm Eurasia Group selected the U.S. presidential election as the biggest risk this year. Eurasia Group pointed out, “The losing side, whether Democratic or Republican, will regard the result as illegal and will not concede,” and added, “This will have the greatest impact on global security and economy.”
Regarding this year’s top 10 risks, Eurasia Group said, “Three wars, including the US presidential election and the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, will dominate the world.” Artificial intelligence (AI) that is out of control, China’s failure to recover its economy, and the so-called ‘axis of rogue regimes’ such as North Korea, Russia, and Iran are also cited as major threats. “It will have a big impact,” he predicted.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.