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Copyright © 2024 CGTN. 京ICP备20000184号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in a courtroom at a hearing in his criminal case on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star in New York City, U.S., March 25, 2024. /CFP
A New York judge's decision on Monday to set an April 15 trial date for Donald Trump's criminal hush-money case ups the odds the former president will face at least one verdict that could complicate his bid to retake the White House on November 5.
In another New York courtroom on Monday, a ruling in a separate case bought Trump some financial breathing room as he tries to build a campaign war chest and keep his real estate empire intact.
The twin rulings highlighted the multiple legal perils that the Republican candidate faces as he tries to take back the White House from Democratic President Joe Biden.
In the hush money case, Trump stands accused of criminally altering business records to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Trump's lawyers say the payment was meant to spare himself and his family embarrassment, not to help him win the election.
After Justice Juan Merchan set the April 15 date, Trump boasted the case could bolster his campaign, telling reporters at one of his nearby properties: "It can also make me more popular because the people know it's a scam."
Protestors with signs stand outside New York County Criminal Court in New York City, U.S., March 25, 2024. /CFP
Trump also faces two criminal trials accusing him of trying to subvert his 2020 election loss to Biden, and another that accuses him of mishandling classified information after he left the White House in 2021.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.
No other former U.S. president, let alone one running for election again, has ever faced criminal charges. But Republican voters rallied behind Trump when the hush money charges were filed a year ago, and opinion polls show him essentially tied with Biden at this point.
But that could change, strategists say. "Republican voters don't seem to be fazed by his legal problems, but independents and unaffiliated voters may be impacted by the proceedings and ultimately whether or not there's a conviction," said Jeanette Hoffman, a Republican consultant.
(With input from Reuters)