TRUMP. Former White House tenant and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump is to be charged, accused of paying a bribe to a porn actress. Can the billionaire be convicted?
This is a first in the history of the United States: a former tenant of the White House will be charged and brought to justice. Donald Trump’s indictment was voted on by a grand jury on Thursday, March 30. The reason ? The billionaire and candidate for the 2024 presidential election is accused of having paid a bribe of 130,000 dollars to the actress and director of porn movies Stormy Daniels to buy her silence on a possible extra-marital affair, in 2016, during the election campaign that resulted in the election of Donald Trump as President.
Donald Trump will be charged, but for now the decision of the grand jury is only theoretical. The businessman and politician’s surrender has yet to take place and the “reading of the indictment” before a Supreme Court could take place on Tuesday, April 4, according to Donald Trump’s lawyer, Susan Necheles. Once summoned, the head of the Trump Organization may decide to voluntarily go to court or refuse to cooperate and be arrested. Difficult to predict the decision of Donald Trump who firmly denies the payment for which he is accused and denounces a “political persecution, interference in the election and a witch hunt” which will turn “violently” against President Joe Biden.
Donald Trump will be officially charged, a priori next week during a hearing in New York justice after a summons by the Manhattan prosecutor’s office. Once the date has been set, the course of events will depend on the billionaire’s response. He could in a first case voluntarily go to the hearing to be charged, a choice which should be made by the candidate for the presidential election of 2024 according to his lawyers. Otherwise, he might not honor the hearing with his presence and would then risk being arrested.
As part of an arrest, “[Donald Trump’s] fingerprints will be taken, he will be photographed and may even be handcuffed” according to the New York Times. An exception could be made for handcuffs due to its status. The next step will be the pleading of Donald Trump who will be able to find himself guilty or not guilty. By acknowledging the facts, the politician would avoid a trial and receive a lighter sentence. But if he persists in denying the facts, a trial should open to rule on a conviction or an acquittal. If it is indeed the case of the bribe which gave rise to the indictment of Donald Trump, the charges brought against the former American president are not yet known and do not allow to have an idea of the penalty incurred.
Donald Trump was the 45th President of the United States. Elected in 2016 at the age of 70, he is the first American head of state to have never exercised a political or military function before his arrival at the White House. The billionaire became known in the 1980s by investing first in real estate, then in multiple sectors, from casinos to golf courses to beauty pageants. In the early 2000s, his role as a host on the reality show The Apprentice made him a familiar figure to all Americans.
After wanderings between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, Donald Trump ran for the Republican primary in 2016, which he won to everyone’s surprise, on a popular and conservative line. From then on, he began an unprecedented campaign based on hyperactivity on Twitter and political incorrectness that inflamed the media and unleashed controversy. Elected president against Democrat Hillary Clinton, his mandate is subject to two dismissal procedures, neither of which succeeds. Candidate for re-election in 2020, Donald Trump is defeated by Democrat Joe Biden, a defeat he never completely admits, denouncing fraud. As early as November 2022, Trump announced his intention to run for the 2024 presidential election.
Donald Trump was born on June 14, 1946 in New York. Her father, Fred Trump, is a real estate developer. At 13, Donald Trump joined the military school in New York. He then did his university studies at the Wharton School, where he studied real estate. In parallel with his studies, he works in the company of his father, Elizabeth Trump
In the early 1970s, Donald Trump took over the management of the family business, which he renamed The Trump Organization. He buys and builds many buildings, in the United States and abroad. In 1983, the Trump Tower was inaugurated in New York, which became the headquarters of the Trump Organization and the main residence of Donald Trump. The latter also invests in casinos, golf courses, sports teams and even beauty contests.
From the 1980s, Donald Trump became a very popular figure in the media and known to the general public. His book “Trump: The Art of the Deal”, written with journalist Tony Schwarz and published in 1987, was a huge success. Since then, Trump has appeared in several films and television series. In 2004, he became the host and producer of the reality show The Apprentice, which aired on NBC. In 2007, he inaugurated his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Donald Trump begins politics in the Democratic Party. Seduced by Ronald Reagan, he joined the Republican Party in 1987. He plans to run for president for the first time in 1988, but gives up. He will repress the same temptation before the 2000 election, but this time under the label of the Reform party, then in 2012, where he considered running as an independent.
In the 2000s, Donald Trump became a fervent opponent of George Bush, whose decision to invade Iraq he challenged. He therefore returned to the Democratic Party from 2001 to 2009. He even contributed to the financing of Hillary Clinton’s campaign for the 2008 primary, won by Barack Obama. But during the presidential election, he finally supports John McCain and rejoins the Republican party. It also feeds the rumor that Barack Obama was born in Kenya and does not have American citizenship.
On June 16, 2015, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the Republican primary, with the slogan “Make America great again”, a reference to Ronald Reagan. His low-budget but hyperactive campaign on Twitter relies on the claim of “political incorrectness”. Donald Trump makes shock statements, particularly on immigration: for example, he declares that Mexican migrants are “rapists” and “criminals” knowingly sent by their government to the United States and launches his flagship campaign project, the construction of a wall between the United States and Mexico. He further claims that global warming is a Chinese invention intended to weigh down the American economy and multiplies sexist remarks. On July 19, 2016, Donald Trump wins the primary and is invested by the Republican Party. However, some members of the party refuse to give him their support: this is the case of Presidents Bush father and son. Donald Trump chooses Mike Pence as his running mate for the vice presidency.
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, which pits him against Democratic candidate Hilary Clinton, is a new round of controversy. The Washington Post airs a video from 2005 in which Trump is heard bragging that he can “grab women by the pussy.” Subsequently, several women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior.
Donald Trump scatters his speeches with false information, publishes falsified graphs and figures on Twitter, on crime, unemployment or even American growth. A large majority of the press is openly hostile to him, to which he responds by unleashing his hatred towards journalists.
On November 8, 2016, Donald Trump won the popular vote against Hillary Clinton, disproving the vast majority of the polls. He surprises Michigan, Visconsin and Pennsylvania, usually Democrats, and also wins Florida and North Carolina. On December 19, 2016, the vote of the electors confirms his victory, with 304 votes against 227 for Clinton. The popular vote, however, granted more ballots to the Democratic candidate, which revives the debate on the American electoral system. Republicans also won a majority of seats in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Donald Trump is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20, 2017. From the start of his term, he has been involved in a fight against the relocation of jobs in manufacturing companies, and has won several successes. Very quickly, he withdrew his country from the trans-Pacific partnership agreement, but also from the Paris climate agreement or the Iranian nuclear agreement. He signed a series of decrees from the first days, one of which, nicknamed the “Muslim ban”, is controversial because it simply prohibits nationals of several Muslim countries from entering American territory. Another, attacking Obamacare, the social protection system set up by his predecessor, was rejected by the Senate. Donald Trump is launching a tax reform aimed at reducing personal and corporate taxes.
On the international level, Donald Trump is illustrated by a spicy and often controversial diplomacy. In February 2017, he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and gave the order to move the American embassy there, throwing oil on the fire in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. In 2019, after tense exchanges with the leader of North Korea Kim Jung-un, the latter received the American president, who obtained progress on the denuclearization of the country. On January 3, 2020, following an attack on a US Embassy in Iraq, Trump orders an operation against Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who is shot dead.
The mandate is marked by a significant turnover of the presidential team, since dismissals and appointments follow one another. Donald Trump also has the opportunity to appoint several judges to the Supreme Court and chooses personalities known for their conservatism, particularly on the issue of the right to abortion.
In 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic reached the United States, Donald Trump was reluctant to take drastic health measures. He rarely wears the mask in public and continues to shake hands, despite the World Health Organization’s social distancing recommendations. Holding the latter responsible for the pandemic, he froze American participation in its financing. In October 2020, Trump tested positive for Covid and was hospitalized for three days.
As early as October 2016, American intelligence services indicated that they had suspicions of Russian interference in the American election. In February 2017, the New York Times revealed that members of Trump’s campaign team had been in contact with senior Russian intelligence officials, and that the FBI was investigating their possible links. In May 2017, Trump fired FBI Director of Investigation James Comey. The findings of the investigation prove no definite link between Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian interference.
In September 2019, an intelligence whistleblower uncovers a call between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In this conversation, Trump asks his counterpart to conduct an investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of Democrat Joe Biden who is the favorite for the nomination in 2020. Following these revelations, the House of Representatives, majority Democrat since 2018, launches impeachment proceedings against Trump for “abuse of power” and “obstructing the proper functioning of Congress”. But the Senate, acquired by the Republicans, acquits the president.
On June 18, 2019, Donald Trump officially launched his campaign for re-election in 2020. He obtained the Republican nomination without incident. Facing him, it is Joe Biden who is invested by the Democrats. Very early in the campaign, when the polls are tight, the president says he is ready to challenge a possible defeat in the Supreme Court and warns of the risk of fraud he sees in the use of postal voting. He is campaigning aggressively against his 78-year-old Democratic opponent, whom he calls “sleepy Joe”.
The popular vote for the presidential election takes place on November 3, 2020, but the final results for some states take several days to be announced. While Donald Trump was initially given the lead, the game turned in a few hours to Joe Biden’s advantage. On November 7, 2020, partial results give Biden 270 electors, securing him victory.
Donald Trump denies defeat and effectively accuses the Democratic Party of fraud. Several legal proceedings were initiated by his team, none of which succeeded. On December 14, 2020, the electors, gathered in the electoral college, granted 306 votes to Joe Biden, against 232 for Donald Trump. Joe Biden is definitely elected. On January 6, Donald Trump gathered his supporters outside the White House and, in a fiery speech, called on them to “march the Capitol”. A crowd then heads for the headquarters of Congress, which is stormed and occupied for a few hours. The next day, Trump condemns the assault and calls on his supporters to “go home”, advocating “reconciliation”. He admits defeat while continuing to accuse Democrats of fraud.
A second impeachment procedure is initiated against Trump by the Democrats after the assault on the Capitol. The Senate again acquits the president, despite the vote of seven Republican senators in favor of his impeachment. However, the parliamentary committee responsible for the procedure recommends that the Ministry of Justice continue the investigation.
On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden was sworn in and inaugurated as President of the United States, in the absence of Donald Trump. Since he is no longer president, legal cases are brought against Trump, for fraud and sexual assault. Several former financial partners of the Trump Organization distance themselves from him. On August 8, the FBI raided his home and found confidential documents, some of which related to Emmanuel Macron.
Following his defeat, while Donald Trump cries fraud on Twitter, several of his tweets are censored by the network because of the false information they convey. On January 8, 2021, Twitter shut down the president’s account, a first in the network’s history. His Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, SnapChat and Youtube accounts are in turn blocked. Donald Trump then created his own social network, Truth Social. On November 20, 2022, following a digital consultation on the network, Elon Musk, the new boss of Twitter, reopened Donald Trump’s account.
On November 15, 2022, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, while Joe Biden still leaves mystery hanging over his own candidacy. Ron DeSantis quickly established himself as Trump’s main opponent in the primary: in early February 2023, the governor of Florida was slightly ahead of the former president in the polls.
Donald Trump married Czechoslovakian athlete and model Ivana Zelní?ková in 1977, with whom he had three children: Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka and Eric. The latter two worked alongside him at the White House. In 1993, Trump married actress and presenter Marla Maples, with whom he had a daughter, Tiffany. In 2005, he married model Melania Knauss, with whom he has a son, Barron. Donald Trump has ten grandchildren.
Donald Trump was born in 1946, so he became president at age 70, making him the oldest head of state in US history. The record has since been broken by Joe Biden, elected at 78.
