Donald Trump becomes first ex-president charged with crime

On Thursday, a Manhattan grand jury indicted former U.S. President Donald Trump, marking the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges in the 247 years since the nation's founding in 1776. Trump, who is currently running for the 2024 presidential campaign, immediately lashed out at the prosecutors, labeling the indictment as a "witch hunt" and predicting that it would backfire on President Biden. Some members of the Republican Party have also accused Biden of personal retaliation and warned of an extreme confrontation. Meanwhile, a faction of Trump's supporters is calling for the impeachment of President Biden, stoking concerns that the nation could be pushed towards a similar division to the Civil War of the 19th century.

A grand jury in New York has voted to indict former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. The investigation focused on payments made during the 2016 campaign. The accusation is that Trump instructed his then-attorney Michael Cohen to pay $130,000 to Daniels to cover up an alleged affair, and then fabricated a document to mobilize the funds from his family business, the Trump Organization. CNN reported that Donald Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in an indictment from a Manhattan grand jury.

While Trump's indictment remains under seal, his official charges are expected to be revealed once prosecutors file their case. Trump is expected to appear in person for his arraignment as early as next Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Constitution, Trump can still run for the 2024 presidential election even if he is found guilty. However, besides this indictment, he faces multiple other legal risks that could hinder his campaign. These include allegations that he orchestrated the January 6th Capitol attack by his supporters and tax evasion allegations against his family businesses. Nonetheless, the backlog of lawsuits makes it difficult to reach a verdict as quickly as Trump's opponents would like, and his supporters are expected to rally behind him. Therefore, it is unclear who would ultimately benefit from this indictment.


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