Trump's legal woes and his risky bet they will help his campaign

Merchandise bearing Donald Trump’s mugshot is sold online

Donald Trump has turned being a victim into a central plank of his campaign, an electoral strategy that will be put to the test Monday in Manhattan during the first ever criminal trial of a former US president.

The 77-year-old Republican candidate has repeatedly denounced the numerous legal actions against him as political witch hunts brought by Democrats to derail his chances of recapturing the White House in November.

Former US president Donald Trump speaks to the press during a civil fraud trial against the Trump Organization in New York in January 2024

Every day for months his campaign has sent supporters nearly a dozen emails and texts written in the billionaire’s name, placing foremost emphasis on the criminal charges against him above all else.

The messages come with a simple ask — donations of $24, $47, $500 or even $1,000 for his campaign.

The victim strategy has long borne fruit for Trump.

And it’s one he no doubt hopes to employ Monday when he faces 34 counts for covering up pre-election hush money payments to hide an alleged sex scandal with adult film star Stormy Daniels.

For months Trump has raised millions of dollars relentlessly accusing Democrats, including President Joe Biden, of unfairly hounding him in court in what he calls a dishonest pursuit to “eliminate their leading opponent.”

He’s even hawked T-shirts, mugs and posters with his now famous mugshot on them, which sold like hotcakes.

But the financial windfall does not necessarily help his campaign.

“The problem is that the money he is raising is not going to buy campaign ads, help state parties organize registration or get out the vote efforts, or pay the costs of staging a rally,” political scientist Lara Brown told AFP.

The money is “going to his attorneys to help him continue delaying his trials.”

With every legal twist, Trump is spending astronomical sums on legal fees: In February alone, he drained $5.6 million from the coffers of his Save America political action committee to cover such expenses.

– ‘Victim ploy’ –

There is little doubt Trump will use his New York court appearances as part of his campaign, but will his diatribes have the same effect when interspersed with prosecutors’ accusations?

Apart from his most loyal supporters, “the majority of Americans don’t believe Trump’s victim ploy,” Brown told AFP.

The biggest risk for Trump’s campaign remains a guilty verdict rendered before the November election.

Polls show that Trump’s support would crumble if he were convicted, particularly among moderate Republicans and independent voters, whose support he will need if he is to beat Biden.

In addition to the New York hush money case, Trump also faces charges in Washington of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election won by Biden.

He is additionally up against racketeering charges in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the election in the southern state.

Finally, the former president also faces federal charges in Florida for allegedly refusing to give up top secret documents after leaving the White House.

With so many legal proceedings on the horizon it stands to reason there will be a verdict before the election — but in which case, and favoring whom?

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