Trump’s indictment is a double-edged sword for global order
If the dramatic indictment last week of former US president Donald Trump by a Manhattan grand jury is just for the cheap thrills of getting him arraigned, photographed and fingerprinted like any ordinary don, it would be a great disservice to the US justice system. Had it been just that—as the Republicans would like to believe—Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg would not have taken the trouble of sealing the indictment and letting the mystery cook. The prosecution also played mind games indicating the grand jury would take an extended break to put Trump’s hounds off the scent before suddenly announcing the indictment. Bragg has broken new ground by overseeing the criminal indictment of the first US president in or out of office. But if he fails to take it to its logical conclusion, he will be labelled a partisan who does not have what it takes for the office he holds. Fighting Trump’s legal army can be bruising, as he has stayed out of the judicial mess so far despite loads of misdemeanours keeping him under intense scrutiny for four decades, which earned him the moniker of Teflon Don.
Trump is expected to turn himself over to the authorities on Tuesday and will be produced in a New York court, where the exact charges against him will be made public. The general understanding is the case is connected to the hush money he paid to an adult film star in 2016 before he became President. The problematic part is the false business record he created to account for it, which is illegal, but that alone isn’t sufficient for a conviction. While the buzz is he has been charged under 34 counts, how many of them are felonies and how solid is the prosecution’s evidence would determine the case’s trajectory.
If the case isn’t watertight, it would enhance Trump’s optics as a survivor and make him a formidable contender for a second shot at the presidency. A new reset of the global order struggling to survive the current economic slide is in nobody’s interest. Trump wrecked the international balance with his hair-brained sanctions and complete lack of strategic foresight during his presidency. He is a foul-mouthing narcissist whose conscience did not prick even when he incited an insurrection to avoid conceding defeat in 2021. The farther he is from the White House, the better it would be for the global community.