Staff Editorial: Trump’s arraignment and its implications about our legal system
On Mar. 30, Donald Trump was officially indicted by a grand jury after a nearly five-year investigation in relation to hush-money payments made to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors then pinpointed fraudulence from this incident as Trump falsely recorded the payments as “legal expenses.” Investigators have found that this is not an isolated incident, and likely part of a bigger scandal meant to influence the 2016 presidential election.
The indictment makes Trump the first American president to be charged with a crime. According to The New York Times, Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. On Apr. 4, Trump surrendered himself to be arraigned although he has pleaded not guilty.
This indictment is one step forward to holding politicians and elitists accountable for their crimes, although the time it took to get here is reflective of the biased justice system that exists in the United States. Considering Trump’s previous presidential status, such charges are also reflective of the biases within our government as a whole—specifically in favor of those of privileged socioeconomic status. Trump’s hush-money payments were made during the 2016 campaign to keep women from speaking publicly about affairs they conducted with him so that he was able to keep a good public image. This portrays a sad reality in which wealthy people are often able to evade responsibility through their wealth; in this specific case, evading responsibility was able to go as far as undermining the integrity of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has been able to evade indictment and beat back a multitude of investigations for this long, much due to his strong legal team which is of course accessible to him considering his status and wealth. Trump and his conservative allies have, of course, been rallying that the charges are politically motivated—according to the Washington Examiner, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has even gone so far as to compare Trump’s arrests to those of Jesus and Nelson Mandela.
It is well known that in Trump’s long-standing business career he has been accused of a long list of legal issues, including but not limited to fraud, racial biases, and sexual misconduct. So, contrary to Greene’s point, taking this long to reach any sort of indictment is much more representative of Trump’s white and financial privilege, rather than of political persecution.
According to NBC News, it is estimated that Trump’s trial will take place in early 2024 and likely clash with the start of presidential primaries. As Trump still plans to run in the 2024 election, a potential presidential nominee who is facing trial is certainly an unprecedented situation, especially considering that current charges and other looming investigations are heavily connected to his previous presidency and elections.
It is extremely frustrating to have watched—and continue to watch—how wealth and power interact with our legal system in ways that privilege those with higher amounts of such. While Trump’s arraignment is one step in the right direction, we must remain critical of our governmental and legal systems which continue to privilege the white, the wealthy, and the powerful.
A multitude of other investigations are also underway, notably in relation to Trump’s incitement of the Jan. 6insurrection in 2021 and his attempts to interfere with the 2020 presidential election results. There is much to stay updated on in the coming months, and we must continue to advocate for a more just system in which everyone is truly treated fairly.
Thumbnail Photo via Wikimedia Commons