In a precedent-setting scenario, former President Donald J. Trump finds himself confronting 34 felonies levied by the Manhattan District Attorney. Legally, his plea of “not guilty” carries the most weight, but politically, his repeated allegation of “election interference” may have the most significant implications. This is seen as another instance of Trump’s signature move: making unverified assertions that elections are unfairly manipulated against him.
Post his initial court appearance in New York, Trump promptly labeled the various ongoing investigations against him as “massive” efforts to interfere with the 2024 election, claiming, “Our justice system has become lawless,” and asserting, “They’re using it now, in addition to everything else, to win elections.”
Trump has consistently accused, without proof, that elections are being stolen from him. His track record includes alleging fraud in the 2016 Iowa caucuses, insisting he lost the popular vote in the 2016 Presidential election due to undocumented immigrants’ votes, and most infamously, he started pushing claims of a fraudulent 2020 election even before the voting commenced. These unsubstantiated allegations culminated in the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Experts and officials, including federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general, have refuted his allegations about the 2020 election. His claims were also widely rejected by courts, with judges Trump appointed also denying his assertions.
Steven Levitsky, a Harvard political scientist, observes, “He’s certainly not the first politician to be prosecuted — sometimes fairly, sometimes not — to play the political victim card.” However, what stands out in Trump’s case is his party’s resonance with his stolen election claims ahead of the next campaign.
Manhattan’s charges primarily stem from Trump’s alleged falsification of business records at his company to silence potentially harmful stories during his campaign—an illegal attempt, prosecutors argue, to influence the election. Additional investigations into Trump’s actions related to the 2020 election also threaten him, notably his call to Georgia’s top elections officer asking him to “find” enough votes to declare him the winner and his alleged attempts to overturn his narrow election loss in the state.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg defended the timing of the charges, stating, “I bring cases when they’re ready,” while the Department of Justice declined to comment on Trump’s “election interference” allegations.
The former President’s continued election fraud suspicions continue to concern critics. Joanna Lydgate, CEO of States United Action, warned, “We’ve seen this film before,” referring to the January 6th incident.
Trump, on the other hand, dismissed such warnings, linking his current legal issues with his longstanding claims about Democratic Party misconduct leading to his removal. He even accused the Democrats of using criminal investigations against him as a strategy to win elections.
Some Republicans, including Trump, have shown mixed reactions, condemning the investigations as a ploy to tarnish Trump’s image while simultaneously suggesting they will boost his chances for the presidency.
Despite the ongoing inquiries, Trump’s recent indictment has underscored his position: no individual, not even former presidents, is above the law. Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs for Common Cause, noted, “running for president cannot and must not serve as a shield for wrongful conduct.”
