Donald Trump’s indictment “the latest line on an increasingly damning CV”

Former President of the United States Donald Trump is set to appear in court over alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House.

Mr Trump faces several charges relating to the retention of protected information, the second time he has faced the law this year following his April indictment on suspicion of business fraud and hush money payments.

Commenting on the arrest, Inderjeet Parmar, Professor of International Politics at City University of London and author of 'The Trump administration, the far-right and world politics, and Trump’s coup and insurrection', said:

“The latest charges against Donald Trump are unprecedented – the first time a former president has ever been charged with a federal offence or felony charges that carry lengthy prison terms if convicted.

“Needless to say, Trump is by far the GOP’s frontrunner for 2024 candidacy and has declared this as a partisan attack on him and American democracy. This aligns with the views of several GOP primary opponents and of Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader.

“The indictment is the latest line on Trump’s increasingly damning CV, which includes being investigated while in office on charges of collaboration with Russia, two impeachments by the House, an insurrection and coup attempt to overturn the Constitution on 6 January 2021 and several other charges since.

Trump’s self-image as a gangster has been given a further lease of life and there’s more to come, especially the investigation of attempts to steal the 2020 election in Georgia, and with the continuing 6 January investigation.

“The Democratic Party’s 2024 programme rests strongly on the GOP and most likely a Trump candidacy. The fear of Trump is a major motivator of Democratic voter turnout, as well as independent voters who will most likely swing the election.

“More broadly, the whole saga is a painful reflection on the criminality of Donald Trump. One half of the two-party US political system has turned its back on the basic tenets of the US Constitution, let alone democracy itself.

“Meanwhile, Democrats lack a sufficiently authentic and attractive programme to present to the electorate. They face multiple hardships regardless of party affiliation and lack the ability to fully extirpate the GOP – meaning they remain a beatable opponent in the 2024 presidential election.”

All comments can be attributed to Inderjeet Parmar, Professor of International Politics at City University of London.