The Law Is Above Us All
Former U.S. President Donald Trump in Court. Source for photo: The New York Times
On March 18, 2023, Trump broke his silence and posted that he would be arrested the following week, without going into the details about the supposed arrest. In a very Trump-like post, the former U.S. president claimed that the “leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week,” before calling his supporters to “protest,” and “take our nation back.” As the days went by, and the indictment became certain, many news sources emphasized the fact that Trump is the first former president ever to be indicted, which, even though true, lacks one more focus. Even though Trump, a powerful and undeniably influential figure, always saw himself as above any legal prosecution, this case provides us with evidence of a much more important fact: that all of us, rich and poor, are subject to the law.
Trump was born in a golden cradle. Born on June 14, 1946, Trump is the son of Fred Trump, a real estate tycoon who made a fortune of $413 million dollars by the time of his death in 1999. On some accounts, the former president was even a millionaire by the time he turned eight years old. After graduating from Wharton Business School in 1968 and successfully evading military service in the Vietnam War in the same year, the world seemed small for the man who – almost 50 years later – would rule the nation.
Nevertheless, the list of controversies Trump has been involved in cannot be overstated. From over twenty-six women accusing the former president of sexual assault to imposing travel bans involving Muslims, Trump was notorious for involving himself in many rather indelicate debates. In a released video from 2005, for example, Trump brags to Billy Bush about the pros of being “a star,” citing his unsuccessful attempts at courting a married woman and being able to “do anything” like touch their genitals without waiting for consent. As alarming as this sounds, there have been no legal proceedings suing Trump for his alleged misconduct in any of the aforementioned cases. Another example, one that gained major headlights in 2019, was when Trump told a group of minority politicians known as the “squad” to “go back” to the countries they came from rather than “loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States how to run the government.” And more recently, there has been controversy over hush money paid to Stormy Daniels back in 2016 to silence their supposed affair.
While the future is unclear, the odds that Trump will face jail time remain low. The discussion of whether Trump - if convicted after trial - will go to jail dominates U.S. media. One thing, however, seems certain: Trump is incredibly unlikely to spend time behind bars. As Forbes correspondent Alison Durkee explains, Trump pleaded guilty to 34 “class E” charges which, at least in New York, can result in one spending four years in prison per felony charge. Taking into account that Trump is a first-time offender, and the nature of the crimes committed, if he - by sheer bad luck - is sentenced to prison, he “would likely be released after a few months.” It is worth noting, nonetheless, that a small portion of the population believes Trump will dodge this bullet altogether. Sam Nunberg, for example, “ a longtime former aide who broke with Trump years ago,” told PBS that these cases are a “waste of time.”
The most important aspect of the Stormy Daniels case, however, is that not only is it bringing a former U.S. president to justice, but it is also reaffirming the American judicial system as one that even the most influential citizens of this country must abide by. A man born into luxury, who went to the best schools, lived in the most expensive houses, and could afford things that many only dream of forgot one crucial aspect of this puzzle: that the law, even though seemingly an innocent disturbance for some, is a powerful tool that can win even against the most influential. After years of controversies and thousands of dollars paid to lawyers, Trump will now finally face what he has been avoiding for many years. Whatever comes to be the conclusion of this case will be a fresh reminder that due process of law is just around the corner.