The prospect of Donald Trump finally facing justice for his alleged crimes of conspiring to subvert the 2020 US presidential election is cause for celebration. Unfortunately, it has taken over two and a half years to hold the disgraced former president accountable for his actions following his loss to Joe Biden. This delay has allowed Trump and his supporters to connect the recent criminal indictment to his potential 2024 election campaign, falsely portraying it as a politically motivated attack on the Republican frontrunner.
Like much of what Trump claims, this is an obvious lie that unfortunately many Americans believe. Biden has made a conscious effort to distance himself from the ongoing investigations into his predecessor’s conduct. For too long, Attorney General Merrick Garland, whose justice department operates independently from the White House, failed to take action, possibly hoping that the Trump-Maga phenomenon would fade away. However, this did not happen, and it was only in November of last year that Special Counsel Jack Smith was appointed.
According to Smith’s allegations, Trump conspired to steal the election by obstructing the certification of electoral college votes on January 6, 2021. He defrauded the government and denied the American people their right to have their votes counted. The underlying premise behind these charges is nothing short of extraordinary. For the first time in history, a sitting president attempted to overturn the fundamental constitutional principle on which the American republic was built. Trump essentially tried to kill democracy.
Smith’s decision not to charge Trump with outright insurrection, as recommended by Congress’s separate January 6 inquiry, shows ongoing cautiousness.
The indictment reveals coordinated efforts directed by Trump to intimidate election officials, create false slates of electors, file baseless lawsuits, pressure Vice President Mike Pence, and spread numerous dishonest claims of voter fraud.
Smith stated that these claims were false and that Trump knew they were false. Their aim was to create an atmosphere of distrust and anger while eroding public faith in the election process. And it worked. Just to be clear, Biden won the 2020 election by over seven million votes and secured a decisive victory in the electoral college with a tally of 306 to 232. Trump was informed of Biden’s fair and square win by Pence, his lawyers, cabinet members, intelligence chiefs, and Republican party officials across the country. Every court challenge he filed was unsuccessful. Yet, he persisted in promoting his “big lie” that Biden cheated.
The consequences of these false claims have severely damaged the credibility of US democracy. Trust in the government has been shattered, and there are even talks of civil war. The global authority and focus of the US have been weakened at a time when authoritarianism is on the rise. Shockingly, recent polling shows that nearly one-third of Americans and almost 70% of Republican voters still believe Trump’s lies about the 2020 election. In reality, only insurrection and rebellion can accurately describe such treacherous behavior.
The apparent hesitation to bring serious charges against Trump, such as sedition for his role in the Capitol Hill riot, indicates some uncertainty within the official circles about venturing into legally uncharted waters. Sympathetic analysts argue that Smith made a wise decision by settling on four felony charges that, although less dramatic, carry significant prison sentences and reinforce each other.
It is undeniably absurd for Trump to claim that he is the victim of political persecution. Throughout his four years in office, he made over 30,000 false or misleading claims, averaging 21 per day, as fact-checkers at The Washington Post reported. The indictment convincingly argues that Trump was fully aware of the falsehoods he spread and used illegal means to promote his personal agenda. The right to free speech is not an excuse to infringe upon the rights of others, and Trump deliberately and repeatedly did so for his own selfish purposes. However, proving malicious intent beyond a reasonable doubt will present challenges.
Regardless of how the trial unfolds legally, which could take several years with potential appeals, it is unlikely to resolve the political divide. It may even deepen the distrust many Americans already have for their governing system. Trump is not solely responsible for this division but merely embodies an ugly symptom of it. While he does not hold a monopoly on lies, his arrogance is unparalleled. Ignoring the judge’s warning, he immediately resumed his intimidating tactics last week, threatening retribution against those who testify against him like a mafia boss.
Perhaps this outlook is overly pessimistic. Maybe Republican leaders will rediscover their moral backbone and ultimately reject Trump. Perhaps non-Maga voters, repulsed by the undignified spectacle of a former commander-in-chief squirming and squealing to save himself, will vote for Democrats in even greater numbers than in 2020. Perhaps Biden can overcome his low approval ratings, remain steady, and secure a victory that saves the nation.
America’s friends and allies sincerely hope for this outcome. Whether the trial occurs in the Oval Office, San Quentin, or Guantánamo Bay, the prospect of a second Trump term, with its inevitable international conflicts, domestic chaos, and settling of scores, is truly terrifying. It is vital that justice prevails and is seen to prevail impartially and objectively, without fear or favor.
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