Former President Donald Trump, currently the frontrunner for the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has now been indicted four times. He also faces other legal troubles.
While experts have speculated that some parts of this legal tangle could land Trump in prison or disqualify him from continuing his campaign, it seems like trial dates alone could mess with his latest bid for the White House.
Although Trump has been dismissive about participating in Republican National Committee debates – typically a must for GOP candidates – his absence at the first one did appear to coincide with a dip in his poll numbers. If he misses more events, will his campaign continue to suffer?
Lists of key campaign trail dates and Trump’s trial calendar dates compiled by CBS News and the Daily Mail show some tricky overlap for the former president’s team.
Here are the highlights:
Next month kicks off with Trump’s arraignment for the charges filed by District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Ga., against him and 18 co-defendants regarding their alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, scheduled for Sept. 6.
· Another RNC debate is coming up on Sept. 27 in Simi Valley, Calif. Trump doesn’t have a trial date on that day, but one trial is expected to start just a few days later, on Oct. 2. That one is related to a $250 million civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James that alleges Trump, his children and senior executives at the Trump Organization falsely inflated his net worth by billions of dollars to induce banks to lend money and more.
· Judge Lewis Kaplan set a Jan. 15 trial date for a defamation lawsuit columnist E. Jean Carroll brought against Trump for his public denial of her claims that he sexually abused her. In a separate trial this year, a jury found that he did in fact sexually abuse her and Carroll was awarded $5 million. Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the 2024 presidential primary calendar, are also scheduled for Jan. 15.
· Shortly after, on Jan. 23, a tentative date has been set for the New Hampshire primary. Shortly after that, on Jan. 29, the trial for a “pyramid scheme” class action lawsuit filed against Trump and his family members is slated to begin.
February is a busy month for the 2024 campaign. Dates include the Feb. 8 Nevada caucuses, the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary and the Feb. 27 Michigan primary.
· By March 4, Special Counsel Jack Smith is expected to begin his federal trial. Trump has been charged with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding. The very next day (March 5) is Super Tuesday, when Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia hold primaries. Later that month, on March 25, a case related to Trump’s alleged “hush money” scheme goes to trial.
· Smith’s case regarding Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left office is set to go to trial May 20 of next year. That’s shortly before the final round of states hold primary elections on June 4. During the RNC convention the following month (July 15 to July 18), the committee will name its nominee for president. Then, the campaign heats up through next November.
CBS News noted that “a trial start date does not mean the prosecution and defense will begin making their arguments then,” but rather the start of jury selection. It also said that trial dates could shift over the coming months.
“Trump’s attorneys are expected to file motions in an effort to delay his trials,” said the outlet. “Trump’s attorneys would like for all of the trials to take place after the election.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Trump was still way up in the GOP primary polls, with around half of the party favoring him compared to any of the other Republican candidates, per data gathered by FiveThirtyEight. He’s also managed to use his legal troubles to his own benefit – just recently reports indicated his campaign raised more than $7 million after his Georgia mugshot was released last week.
Related
Related
