Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media at a Washington hotel on Jan. 9, 2024, after attending a hearing before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals at the federal courthouse in Washington. Susan Walsh/AP WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Washington formally postponed Donald Trump's March trial on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election as a key legal appeal from the former president remains unresolved in the courts. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday vacated the March 4 trial date in the case brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith but did not immediately set a new date. The move opens the door for a separate prosecution in New York, charging Trump in connection with hush money payments to a porn actor, to proceed first. That case has long been seen as arguably the least legally perilous of the four indictments Trump faces, with the alleged misconduct less grave than accusations of mishandling classified documents or plotting to subvert a presidential election. The postponement in Washington comes as a federal appeals court has yet to resolve a pending appeal from Trump arguing that he is immune from prosecution for actions he took in the White House. It is not clear when the three-judge panel might rule, but a ruling in favor of prosecutors that permits the case to move forward is expected to be appealed by the Trump team, likely resulting in additional delays. For both sides, timing is of the essence. Trump, who faces four indictments and 91 felony counts, is looking to push his criminal cases back as he enjoys front-runner status in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Smith's team, meanwhile, is hoping to be able to prosecute Trump this year before the November election. If Trump is elected while the case is pending, he could presumably order the Justice Department to drop it and could potentially try to seek a pardon for himself. The Washington case had been expected to take place first, but it has been delayed for weeks by Trump's appeal on grounds that he is shielded from prosecution — a claim that has been vigorously disputed by Smith's team. The appeals court heard arguments on Jan. 9 and appeared skeptical of a Trump lawyer's position. Though the court has said it intended to work quickly, it has not yet issued a ruling. The judge in the New York case, the first of four indictments filed against Trump last year, has long resisted defense demands that he postpone the March 25 start date in light of the conflicting trial date in Washington, figuring — correctly — that the former president's legal calendar might change as the trial neared. Trump is due back in court in Manhattan on Feb. 15 for a pretrial hearing where final details are expected to be ironed out. All signs point to the New York case starting on time. Trump's lawyers and prosecutors have been discussing jury selection procedures with the judge and some witnesses have said they've been told to be ready to testify. The New York case involves steps Trump allegedly took to hide payments that were made on the Republican's behalf to suppress damaging stories before his 2016 win over Democrat Hillary Clinton, namely logging them as legal expenses. While a guilty verdict would give Trump another historic moniker as the first former president convicted of a crime, potentially complicating his campaign to return to the White House, there's no guarantee of prison time. Trump critics and rival campaign aides have long bemoaned that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's indictment was the first, believing that it helped blunt the political impact of more serious charges that followed because voters tuned out or grew confused by the myriad cases. Bragg has eschewed his case's "hush money" label, opting in recent weeks to describe it as another Trump "election interference" case — albeit, this one involving behind-the-scenes maneuvering during Trump's first campaign for the White House in 2016. Trump, meanwhile, faces dozens of felony charges in Florida accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. That case is set for trial on May 20 but could still be postponed. Another case in Georgia, brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, accuses him of plotting to overturn that state's 2020 election. No trial date has been set.

Former President Donald J. Trump, in a speech to a Black conservative group on Friday night, said he believed that the [four criminal cases](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/trump-investigations-charges-indictments.html) he is facing have earned him support from Black voters because they saw the historic unfairness of the justice system reflected in his legal woes. “I think that’s why the Black people are so much on my side now,” Mr. Trump said at a gala hosted by the Black Conservative Federation in Columbia, S.C. “Because they see what’s happening to me happens to them. Does that make sense?” At another point in his speech, he suggested that Black voters had warmed to him “because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as, I’m being discriminated against. It’s been pretty amazing.” Mr. Trump has long used “law and order” to rally his conservative base, as well as [coded racist language](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/20/us/politics/trump-haley-racially-charged-attacks.html) to attack political opponents. His comments on Friday came in a speech filled with express overtures to Black voters, a group that has overwhelmingly voted Democratic for decades, but whose support he and his campaign are [eager to win](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/06/us/politics/biden-trump-black-voters-poll-democrats.html). As the former president has shifted his focus from the Republican primary, where he is the dominant front-runner, to the general election, he has increasingly included mentions of Black voters in his speeches. Typically, Mr. Trump claims that Black Americans fared better economically under his administration than under President Biden’s. He has also asserted that the influx of migrants at the southern border is disproportionately hurting Black workers, who face the threat of losing their jobs to immigrants willing to work for lower wages. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F02%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-black-voters.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F02%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-black-voters.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F02%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-black-voters.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F02%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-black-voters.html).

  Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley talks to the media after voting Saturday in Kiawah Island, S.C. Haley called former President Donald Trump's comments about Black voters "disgusting." Chris Carlson/AP Nikki Haley called comments Donald Trump made about Black people at an event Friday "disgusting" and proof Republicans would lose the presidential race if he's the nominee. That's the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. That's the offensiveness that's going to happen every day between now and the general election, which is why I continue to say Donald Trump cannot win a general election. He won't. Nikki Haley, Republican presidential candidate Speaking at the Black Conservative Federation Gala in Columbia, S.C., Friday night, former President Donald Trump made a series of inflammatory comments about Black voters, including suggesting that Black voters support him because of his criminal indictments, that they have "embraced" his mug shot and that he could only see Black people in the audience because of how bright the stage lights were. "Black people are so much on my side now because they see what's happening to me happens to them," Trump said about his various indictments. "Does that make sense?"   From left, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, right, appear on stage as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Black Conservative Federation's Annual BCF Honors Gala in Columbia, S.C., Friday. Andrew Harnik/AP Haley, speaking to reporters after casting her vote [in the South Carolina primary](https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/sc-news/2024-02-24/sc2024-electionpreview) Saturday near her home in Kiawah Island, S.C., said the comments are the latest example of a "huge warning sign" if he's the GOP nominee. "It's disgusting, but that's what happens when he goes off the teleprompter," Haley said to reporters after voting on Kiawah Island. "That's the chaos that comes with Donald Trump. That's the offensiveness that's going to happen every day between now and the general election, which is why I continue to say Donald Trump cannot win a general election. He won't." Haley's [argument to voters](https://www.npr.org/2024/02/22/1232961899/nikki-haley-south-carolina-primary-super-tuesday-biden-trump) is that Trump is a candidate of chaos that will only hurt the Republican Party come November. She is currently lagging in the polls [behind Trump in South Carolina](https://www.npr.org/2024/02/23/1233304670/south-carolina-republican-primary-election-2024) and nationwide as the primary contest continues next week in Michigan. _NPR's_ [_Sarah McCammon_](https://www.npr.org/people/448294256/sarah-mccammon) _contributed reporting to this article._

Donald J. Trump lapped Nikki Haley in the Midwest. He beat her in the Northeast. He dominated in the West. And now he has trounced the former two-term governor in her home state of South Carolina. After nearly six weeks of primary contests in geographically, demographically and ideologically diverse states, even Ms. Haley’s most ardent supporters must squint to see the faintest path to the presidential nomination for her in 2024. The race was called the moment the polls closed, and within minutes an ebullient Mr. Trump took the stage, avoiding a mistake he made in New Hampshire when Ms. Haley spoke first and, even in defeat, gave a rousing speech that had irked him. “It’s an early evening,” Mr. Trump beamed. But Ms. Haley, the former United Nations ambassador, is still vowing to plow on, warning her party that sticking with Mr. Trump and the distractions of [his four criminal indictments](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/trump-investigations-charges-indictments.html) is a pathway to defeat in November. “Today is not the end of our story,” she declared. Here are five takeaways from the South Carolina primary and what comes next: Image Ms. Haley cast her ballot on Kiawah Island, S.C., with her mother and children.Credit...Ruth Fremson/The New York Times She campaigned more aggressively. She spent more on television advertisements. She debuted a shiny new bus to traverse the state, and kept raking in donations. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F02%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-haley-south-carolina-takeaways.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F02%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-haley-south-carolina-takeaways.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F02%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-haley-south-carolina-takeaways.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F02%2F24%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-haley-south-carolina-takeaways.html).

Image source, Getty Images **Donald Trump is appealing against a New York judge's ruling that he must pay $454m (£360m) in penalties and interest in a civil fraud case.** This month's judgement was $355m, but the amount has soared with interest, which will keep accruing by at least $112,000 per day. New York Attorney General Letitia James has said if Mr Trump does not pay, she will seek to seize some of his assets. He was found to have inflated property values to obtain better loan terms. Judge Arthur Engoron also banned the former US president from doing business in the state for three years. Monday's appeal from the Republican presidential frontrunner means yet another legal case of his will drag further into election season as he prepares for a likely rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden in November. Mr Trump had said all along he planned on appealing against the ruling, calling it a political witch hunt. His lawyer, Alina Habba, said on Monday they hope the appeal court "will overturn this egregious fine and take the necessary steps to restore the public faith in New York's legal system". In their court filing, the attorneys said they were asking the appellate division to decide whether Judge Engoron's court "committed errors of law and/or fact" and whether it "abused its discretion" or "acted in excess of its jurisdiction". The former president's lawyers have also argued that he was wrongly sued under a consumer-protection statute typically used to rein in businesses that rip off customers. Mr Trump's legal team has previously challenged rulings by Judge Engoron at least 10 times, including a gag order. The appeals process could last a year or longer. Mr Trump could be granted a pause on collection of the judgement if he offers up money, assets or an appeal bond covering the amount owed. It is unclear what route he will take. Mr Trump's two adult sons and co-defendants, Donald Jr and Eric, were ordered to pay $4m each and are barred for two years from doing business in New York. They have maintained there was no wrongdoing and joined their father's appeal on Monday. Adding to the drain on his cash reserves, the ex-president was last month ordered to pay $83m after losing a defamation case to E Jean Carroll, a woman he was found to have sexually abused. According to a Forbes estimate, Mr Trump is worth about $2.6bn. Though it is unclear how much cash he has on hand, he testified last year he has $400m in liquid assets. The civil trial that began in October focused mostly on determining penalties against Mr Trump since Judge Engoron had already ruled the ex-president liable for business fraud. He faces another case in his hometown of New York City next month. In those criminal proceedings, it is alleged that Mr Trump falsified business records to conceal hush money paid to an adult film star before the 2016 election. On Monday, the Manhattan prosecutor who is bringing that case asked a judge for a gag order on Mr Trump. The district attorney's office said such a measure was needed to protect jurors, witnesses and court staff from Mr Trump's "long history of making public and inflammatory remarks". Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, called the request an "unconstitutional infringement" Mr Trump's rights. He reiterated the former president's claims that the indictments against him are partisan attempts to prevent his re-election. * [Indictments of Donald Trump](/news/topics/cd06yxge4v4t) * [Donald Trump](/news/topics/cp7r8vgl2lgt) * [United States](/news/topics/cx1m7zg01xyt)

Last month, in a room full of Washington’s most prominent Black conservatives, Donald Trump [declared](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/24/trump-courts-black-leaders-in-s-c-claims-legal-troubles-have-won-him-their-support-00143061) that Black voters are drawn to him because of his criminal indictments and mugshot. Democrats [quickly denounced](https://thehill.com/homenews/race-politics/4486998-black-leaders-dnc-blast-trump-for-racist-comments/) his comments as “racist”. But some Black Republicans have defended Trump, claiming that “life was better four years ago under his administration” because of certain initiatives during his presidency that were geared towards Black communities. “No amount of media deception or liberal race-baiting will sway the minds of Black voters who will cast their ballots this November for safer streets, a better financial wellbeing, a secure border and a complete rejection of Joe Biden’s disastrous tenure,” Diante Johnson, the president of the Black Conservative Federation (BCF), said. The incident puts a renewed spotlight on Black supporters of Trump, bringing into focus how these voters reconcile his racism as the 2024 election draws closer. At a BCF gala on 24 February, where [500](https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-black-voters-insulting-comments-gala-a4badaf0753f08b9336c84bcae0d6571) Republicans gathered, Trump accepted the group’s Champion of Black America award, emphasizing support he has found in Black communities and linking it to his criminality. “A lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against … It’s been pretty amazing but possibly, maybe, there’s something there.” The former president continued, saying that his infamous mugshot was [most embraced](https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/trump-criminal-indictments-boosted-appeal-black-voters-107510194) by “the Black population”, and claiming that Black people were “walking around” with it. Trump, who is [leading](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/02/michigan-republican-party-convention-donald-trump-victory) the Republican nomination for the 2024 election, has announced his intention to [court](https://apnews.com/article/republicans-black-voters-election-trump-biden-5cdcb6cdf042ccf2b506becdaf2fc218) Black voters, especially as polling shows an increasing dissatisfaction with Joe Biden. On 17 February, he [released](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/18/trump-launches-gold-high-top-sneaker-line-a-day-after-350m-court-ruling) the limited edition Never Surrender High-Tops, a $399 pair of golden sneakers. Republican pundits claimed that the flashy footwear was responsible for “eroding” Democratic support among Black people: “This is connecting with Black America. Because they love sneakers,” the Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo [said](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWSaEV059ks). Trump did not comment on the sneakers’ intended audience. Weeks after Trump’s “mugshot” remarks, a BBC investigation [found](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/04/trump-ai-generated-images-black-voters) that Trump supporters were circulating artificial intelligence-generated photos of Trump with Black people. The images have not been tied to the Trump campaign. In response to his comment at the gala, the White House press secretary, [Karine Jean-Pierre](https://thehill.com/people/karine-jean-pierre/), called Trump “divisive and repugnant” during a press briefing last week, the Hill reported. “Just being very candid here, it’s repugnant, and it’s divisive to traffic in racist stereotypes … It is, again, divisive and repugnant, and it’s coming from, obviously, a former president of the United States,” said [Jean-Pierre](https://thehill.com/people/karine-jean-pierre/). The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), though non-partisan, also denounced Trump’s comments as “delusional”. “Donald Trump is delusional to think that his criminality would be an attractive quality to Black voters. He has taken advantage of an inherently racist system, while Black Americans have been abused by it. We are not the same,” said the NAACP president and CEO, Derrick Johnson, in a statement. Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University, said that Trump’s “flippant” comments fit a narrative on how the former president views his relationship with certain voters as transactional. “He’s making the claim, not that he has earned Black voters’ trust, but that Black voters owe him,” she said. As for voter behavior, Gillespie thinks it is unlikely that Trump’s latest remarks will have an outsized impact on Black support. Most Black conservatives “are Democrats”, Gillespie said, who were not going to vote for Trump anyway. “Conservative Black people are still more likely to be Democrats because most of them still have perceptually viewed the Republican party as problematic,” she said, referencing the University of Texas at Austin professor Tasha Philpot’s theory on Black conservatives. And vocal Black Trump supporters – like the gala’s attendees – are equally unlikely to stop supporting Trump, Gillespie argued. But, she said, some may be quietly less interested in campaigning for the former president. “The question will be how enthusiastic rank-and-file, Black [Republicans](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/republicans) might be about sticking their necks out to endorse Trump,” Gillespie said. “A lot of people in \[that\] audience realize that when they try to campaign for Trump in their communities, somebody is going to bring this up.” The former president will [launch](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/04/trump-ai-generated-images-black-voters) new ads targeting Black voters in Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania this week.

Mike Pence will not endorse for president [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/mike-pence), the man he served as vice-president for four years but whose supporters chanted for Pence to be hanged as they attacked Congress on January 6. “It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” the former Indiana governor and former candidate for the Republican presidential nomination [told Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/media/pence-declines-to-endorse-trump-wont-back-biden) on Friday. Asked why, given that he previously [promised](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/republican-debate-if-trump-is-convicted-support-as-president-jan-6-indictments-pence/) to endorse the eventual nominee, Pence mentioned 6 January 2021, the day a mob attacked Congress and Trump was reported to have told aides Pence “[deserved](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/28/trump-pence-deserved-it-hanged-capitol-attack#:~:text=A%20crucial%20witness%20before%20the,that%20attacked%20the%20US%20Capitol.)” to be hanged for refusing to block certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. But Pence placed more emphasis on policies pursued by Trump as he has secured the Republican nomination, a success achieved despite [now](https://apnews.com/article/georgia-election-interference-2020-trump-46e0b68c25719c404130f7e6eab69dcd) facing 88 criminal charges under four indictments and suffering multimillion-dollar civil penalties over his business affairs and a rape allegation a judge called “[substantially true](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/07/donald-trump-rape-language-e-jean-carroll)”. Pence said he was “incredibly proud of the record of our administration. It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure, and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world. “But that being said, during my presidential campaign” – which he [ended in October](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/28/mike-pence-suspends-campaign-for-republican-presidential-nomination), months before the first vote, in Iowa – “I made it clear that there were profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues, and not just our difference on my constitutional duties that I exercised on January 6. “As I have watched his candidacy unfold, I’ve seen him walking away from our commitment to confronting the national debt. I’ve seen him starting to shy away from a commitment to the sanctity of human life.” The US national debt [ballooned](https://www.propublica.org/article/national-debt-trump) under Trump and Pence. On abortion rights, the supreme court to which Trump appointed three rightwingers did remove federal rights in 2022. But Republicans have since suffered a succession of election defeats as Democrats [campaign](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/14/kamala-harris-visits-abortion-clinic-minnesota) on the issue. As Trump claims credit for appointing those justices, Democrats are [positioning](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/14/kamala-harris-visits-abortion-clinic-minnesota) to make reproductive rights a central issue in November. Pence also cited Trump’s “reversal” on “getting tough on China and supporting our administration’s effort to force the sale of … TikTok”. Pence refused to speculate on why Trump has come out against [forcing](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/15/us-senate-tiktok-sale-bill) the sale by ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company. He said: “What I can tell you is that in each of these cases, Donald Trump is pursuing and articulating an agenda that is at odds with the conservative agenda that we governed on during our four years. “And that’s why I cannot in good conscience endorse Donald Trump in this campaign.” Most of Trump’s former rivals for the Republican nomination have now endorsed him. The last to drop out, the former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, has not. Opponents of Trump welcomed Pence’s decision not to endorse. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who retired from Congress over his opposition to Trump, [said simply:](https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger/status/1768742319476367606) “Good job Mike Pence.” Tommy Vietor, an aide to Barack Obama turned political commentator, [said](https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/1768741009687757127): “I did not expect this from Mike Pence. Credit to him for showing some backbone. This is a big deal.” But Pence, who has [outlined](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4480789-pence-group-announces-20-million-effort-to-fight-gop-drift-toward-populism/) plans to spend $20m this year in an attempt to shape the conservative agenda, told Fox News he would not vote for Biden. “I’m a Republican,” he [said](https://www.foxnews.com/media/pence-declines-to-endorse-trump-wont-back-biden). “How I vote when that curtain closes, that’ll be for me.”

The first criminal trial of an American president will begin Monday as prosecutors and defense lawyers convene in a Manhattan courtroom to begin selecting the jury that will decide Donald J. Trump’s fate. The Manhattan district attorney, [Alvin L. Bragg](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/09/magazine/alvin-bragg-donald-trump-trial.html), has charged Mr. Trump with 34 felonies, accusing him of falsifying documents to conceal a sex scandal involving a porn star. The case, one of [four indictments](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/trump-investigations-charges-indictments.html) facing the former president and presumptive Republican nominee, could reshape the political landscape ahead of Election Day. Jury selection could last two weeks or more and the trial may spill into June. Mr. Trump is expected to be in the courtroom for much of it, bringing campaign theatrics to the sober atmosphere of a criminal proceeding. The spectacle will be remarkable: a former president face-to-face with a part of his past that he has tried to bury but that could instead make him a felon. In 2016, Mr. Trump’s former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, [paid $130,000 to the porn star, Stormy Daniels](https://www.nytimes.com/article/donald-trump-trial-what-to-know.html), to buy her silence about a story of having had sex with Mr. Trump a decade earlier. Mr. Trump, [who might take the witness stand](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/12/nyregion/trump-trial-testify-hush-money-case.html) in his own defense, has denied the sexual encounter. But prosecutors say that he falsified a series of documents to hide reimbursements to Mr. Cohen. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F15%2Fnyregion%2Ftrump-trial-hush-money.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F15%2Fnyregion%2Ftrump-trial-hush-money.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F15%2Fnyregion%2Ftrump-trial-hush-money.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F15%2Fnyregion%2Ftrump-trial-hush-money.html).

The former and possibly future president of the United States is now on trial in Lower Manhattan, the first criminal prosecution of an American elected to the nation’s highest office. Donald Trump, who relentlessly undermined the justice system while in office and since, is enjoying the same protections and guarantees of fairness and due process before the law that he sought to deny to others during his term. A jury of Americans will ultimately decide Mr. Trump’s legal fate. It may be the only one of the four criminal cases against the former president that comes to trial before the November election. Though the election interference charges are not the most serious of those he faces, the case will determine whether 12 of his fellow Americans find him guilty of a felony — a result that [most voters](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-hush-money-charges-seen-serious-by-most-voters-reutersipsos-finds-2024-04-10/) say they would consider to be serious. In the first two days of this trial, Mr. Trump has offered a defense of himself to the public, in brief appearances between his courtroom table and the television cameras: He portrays himself as a victim of an unfair and politically motivated prosecution. That defense is built on lies. Mr. Trump is no victim. He is fortunate to live in a country where the rule of law guarantees a presumption of innocence and robust rights for defendants. A guiding principle of the American experiment is that the law applies to everyone equally. At the same time, prosecuting any current or former elected official requires vigilance against bias and awareness about how the case will be perceived by the public. For this reason, judges and prosecutors have an obligation to hew to stringent standards of fairness, to reduce the risk that they appear to be interfering in electoral politics by using criminal cases to damage or favor one candidate over another. The former president refers to the four prosecutions he faces as “witch hunts” motivated by partisanship and part of a nefarious scheme to keep him from returning to the White House. He has repeated this narrative even though the prosecutions have been brought by different prosecutors around the country, and even though different grand juries, each composed of a random selection of regular citizens in different states, handed up indictments that now total [88 felony charges](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/us/trump-investigations-charges-indictments.html) against him. In the weeks leading up to the start of this trial, Mr. Trump has argued, dishonestly, that the judge and the prosecutor have treated him unfairly, and that it will be impossible for him to get a fair trial in Manhattan because New Yorkers are biased against him. But the opening days of the trial, devoted to jury selection, have already demonstrated the great care and respect with which everyone involved in the trial, except for Mr. Trump, has treated the process. Joshua Steinglass, a member of the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, told potential jurors on Tuesday that the case “has nothing to do with personal politics.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F17%2Fopinion%2Fdonald-trump-trial.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F17%2Fopinion%2Fdonald-trump-trial.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F17%2Fopinion%2Fdonald-trump-trial.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F04%2F17%2Fopinion%2Fdonald-trump-trial.html).

A lawyer in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial on Thursday sharply attacked Stormy Daniels over her account of having had sex with Mr. Trump, suggesting that she has continually sought to make money off their liaison. Ms. Daniels had a simple retort: So has Mr. Trump. Before Mr. Trump became president of the United States in 2016, he was more of a savvy marketer than a real estate tycoon, lending his name to all sorts of projects and products. There was Trump Ice Natural Spring Water, Trump Home mattresses, Trump steaks, Trump men's wear. Even today, on TrumpStore.com, a blue Trump Signature Collection silk necktie sells for $125. Mr. Trump’s lawyer Susan Necheles argued during cross-examination that Ms. Daniels wanted to make money from the outset, which motivated her to go public about her 2006 encounter with Mr. Trump. Ms. Necheles noted to Ms. Daniels that she has “an online store where you sell merchandise.” She mentioned a $40 “Saint of Indictments” devotional candle that carries an image of the porn star draped in a Christ-like robe. (Mr. Trump himself recently made news by hawking a Bible for $59.99.) The lawyer characterized Ms. Daniels’s online commerce as “shilling.” Ms. Daniels retorted: “Not unlike Mr. Trump.”

The witness list is winding down. Closing statements could come as early as Tuesday. Then a Manhattan jury will gather in the first criminal trial of a former president to determine whether Donald J. Trump will campaign this fall as a convicted felon. The political impact of one of the most consequential jury deliberations in the nation’s history is far from predictable. “Who knows?” said Mike Murphy, a Republican strategist who has been a longtime Trump critic. “The first casualty of the I’m-right-you’re-evil politics of today is institutional credibility. We’re not in the politics of accepting impartial facts anymore.” But whether the verdict becomes a political turning point or not, it will be a pivotal moment in the race. The case is the only one of Mr. Trump’s four indictments expected to come to trial and a conclusion before Election Day, even if the charges of falsifying financial records related to a hush-money payment made to a porn star do not match the gravity of the indictments accusing Mr. Trump of trying to thwart the peaceful transfer of power in 2020. There is little doubt that Mr. Trump’s base is unlikely to abandon him now. Less clear is how swing voters or some of the traditional Democratic constituencies — younger, Black and Hispanic voters — who have expressed diminished support for Mr. Biden lately, and even flirted with Mr. Trump, would process a guilty verdict. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F05%2F20%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-trial-2024-election.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F05%2F20%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-trial-2024-election.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F05%2F20%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-trial-2024-election.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F05%2F20%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-trial-2024-election.html).

Donald Trump’s campaign has issued another extraordinary fundraising request to supporters by doubling down on a false claim that rival Joe Biden was prepared to hurt or kill him by authorizing the use of deadly force during an [FBI search for classified documents](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/08/trump-says-fbi-raided-his-mar-a-lago-home) at his Mar-a-Lago compound in August 2022. The claim has become a currency among some Trump supporters and is widely described by them as an “attempted assassination” – but rests on a misquoted section of FBI policy in a legal motion. Moreover, Trump was not even in [Florida](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/florida) during the search. The revival of the [claim](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/22/trump-fbi-doj-lethal-force) came late Sunday in the form of an email to supporters headlined:“This is an Alert from Donald Trump.” “DEADLY FORCE? Biden authorized it. They brought guns to the raid on Mar-a-Lago!” it read. “I’m sick and tired of the Radical Left destroying this country and trying to destroy me,” it continued, before detailing raids, indictments and arrests Trump claims he has been subjected to for political purposes. “Here’s the bottom line: I WILL NEVER SURRENDER. AND NEITHER WILL YOU!’ It concluded with a request for donations of up to $500 and a demand to “drop all charges” against him. As laid out in the justice department’s [justice manual.](https://www.justice.gov/jm/justice-manual) agents are permitted to use [deadly force](https://www.justice.gov/jm/1-16000-department-justice-policy-use-force#1-16.200) “when necessary, that is, when the officer has a reasonable belief that the subject of such force poses an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to the officer or to another person”. It is standard procedure in many cases and the execution of a search warrant on Mar-a-Lago was communicated ahead of time with Trump’s Secret Service detail. In a statement, the [FBI](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/fbi) described the language as “a standard policy statement limiting the use of deadly force. No one ordered additional steps to be taken and there was no departure from the norm in this matter.” Since leaving office in 2021, Trump is estimated to have spent more than $100m on lawyers and other costs related to various investigations, indictments and legal defense costs – or roughly $90,000 a day. Most of those expenses are met by donations in to political action committee and campaign funds set up to contest the results of the 2020 election. But those accounts are running low, and the former president could be facing a cash crunch. But Trump’s claims ignore the realities that [fears](https://www.cfr.org/news-releases/there-risk-extremist-violence-around-2024-us-presidential-election-warns-new-cfr) of rising political violence during this election cycle are mostly focused on the threat from the far right. “You know they’re just itching to do the unthinkable,” read the previous Trump campaign fundraising email, signed with the former president’s name. “Joe Biden was locked & loaded ready to take me out & put my family in danger.” The government’s charges that Trump hid classified documents taken from the White House at the end of his term and then refused requests to turn them over is currently stalled by legal challenges. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/27/trump-fbi-mar-a-lago-search#EmailSignup-skip-link-12) Sign up to Trump on Trial Stay up to date on all of Donald Trump’s trials. Guardian staff will send weekly updates each Wednesday – as well as bonus editions on major trial days. **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion But the sense that the government itself is working against justice in the case of Trump is a powerful fundraising tool for his campaign. Trump’s latest assassination-warning email comes as his trial on campaign finance charges is coming to a conclusion in New York. Final prosecution and defense arguments are expected on Tuesday. Opinion polls suggest that the month-long proceedings have not so far moved the needle either way on Trump but merely served to reinforce existing opinions. But a verdict could change that – or not. Either way both presidential candidates are likely to make political hay from whichever way it goes. Trump has made the dingy corridor outside the courtroom a campaign stage, with Republican allies turning up daily to show their support. [According to Politico last week](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/24/biden-trump-trial-verdict-00159981), Biden plans to address the matter once a verdict is reached. But he may do so from the White House, not from the campaign trail, to show his statement isn’t political. But with political heat rising, the reactions of both men will likely be seen primarily through the political lens.

It’s one of the biggest questions in the wake of Donald J. Trump’s conviction: Did the verdict change anyone’s mind? Early on, the answer appears to be an equivocal “yes.” In [interviews with nearly 2,000 voters](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/06/05/us/elections/times-siena-recontact-study-results.html) who previously took New York Times/Siena College surveys, President Biden appeared to gain slightly in the aftermath of Mr. Trump’s conviction last week for falsifying business records. The group favored Mr. Trump by three points when originally interviewed in April and May, but this week they backed him by only one point. While there’s no way to be sure whether their views reflect the broader electorate, the findings offer unusually clear evidence that the verdict has led some voters to reconsider their support for Mr. Trump. Overall, Mr. Trump retains 93 percent of voters who told us they backed him in a previous survey — a tally that’s yet another striking show of political resilience from a candidate who is facing three more sets of criminal indictments. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F06%2F05%2Fupshot%2Fpolling-trump-conviction-voters.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F06%2F05%2Fupshot%2Fpolling-trump-conviction-voters.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F06%2F05%2Fupshot%2Fpolling-trump-conviction-voters.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F06%2F05%2Fupshot%2Fpolling-trump-conviction-voters.html).

It was not long after Eric Adams became mayor of New York City in 2022 that the comparisons with Donald J. Trump started. Mr. Adams called himself the Biden of Brooklyn, but his style was far more similar to the man President Biden defeated in the 2020 election. Like Mr. Trump, Mr. Adams has repeatedly bashed the press coverage he has received since he took office. “We have to tell our news publications: Enough, enough, enough,” said Mr. Adams, who is a former police officer and the city’s second Black mayor and who created his own newsletter to circumvent the local media covering him, in late 2022. Both try to demonstrate what Mr. Adams has called “swagger,” a macho patina of toughness. Both have projected law-and-order strength while surrounding themselves with people under legal scrutiny of their own. And both have insisted they’re victims of political efforts to prosecute them for their stances on issues, prosecutions that they insist are the real corruption, not their own actions. Mr. Adams will now test how far he can take the Trump playbook in seeking to remain in office. It remains to be seen whether the forces of political gravity that usually come with an indictment will drag him down. Mr. Trump will face a similar test in less than six weeks of whether his criminal travails will prevent him from winning the presidential election despite broad support within his party. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F09%2F27%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-adams-indictments-analysis.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F09%2F27%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-adams-indictments-analysis.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F09%2F27%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-adams-indictments-analysis.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F09%2F27%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Ftrump-adams-indictments-analysis.html).

President-elect Donald Trump was [indicted four times](https://www.vox.com/trump-investigations/2023/8/17/23832734/trump-indictment-democracy-paradox) — including two indictments arising out of his failed attempt to steal the 2020 election. One of these indictments [even yielded a conviction](https://www.vox.com/politics/352465/trump-convicted-felon-elections), albeit on 34 relatively minor charges of falsifying business records. But the extraordinary protections the American system gives to sitting presidents will ensure that Trump won’t be going to prison. He’s going to the White House instead. Two of the indictments against Trump are federal, and two were brought by state prosecutors in New York and Georgia. The federal indictments (one about Trump’s role in [fomenting the January 6 insurrection](https://www.vox.com/2023/8/1/23810131/trump-indictment-charges-jan-6-jack-smith-supreme-court), and the other about his [handling of classified documents](https://www.vox.com/politics/360735/trump-classified-documents-case-cannon-dismissed-indictment)) are the most immediately vulnerable. Once Trump becomes president, he will have full command and control over the US Department of Justice, and can simply order it to drop all the federal charges against him. Once he does, those cases will simply go away. The White House does have a [longstanding norm of non-interference with criminal prosecutions](https://www.americanprogress.org/article/restoring-integrity-independence-u-s-justice-department/), but this norm is nothing more than that — a voluntary limit that past presidents placed on their own exercise of power in order to prevent politicization of the criminal justice system. As president, Trump is under no constitutional obligation to obey this norm. He nominates the attorney general, and he can fire the head of the Justice Department at any time. Indeed, Trump is reportedly considering Aileen Cannon, a judge who has consistently tried to sabotage one of the Justice Department’s prosecutions of Trump, to be [the US attorney general](https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-tossed-trumps-classified-docs-case-list-proposed/story?id=114997807). Cannon, who oversees Trump’s federal classified documents’ trial, even tried to [disrupt the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump](https://www.vox.com/2023/6/13/23757893/aileen-cannon-donald-trump-jack-smith-indictment-mar-a-lago-maga) before he was indicted. There’s no indication that her apparent loyalty to Trump would diminish if she becomes the nation’s top prosecutor. The fate of the state charges against Trump is a little more uncertain, in large part because there’s never been a state indictment of a sitting president before, so there are no legal precedents governing what happens if a state attempts such a prosecution (or, in the case of New York, to impose a serious sentence on a president who was already convicted). It is highly unlikely that the state prosecutions can move forward, however, at least until Trump leaves office. On the federal level, the Department of Justice has long maintained that [it cannot indict a sitting president for a variety of practical reasons](https://www.justice.gov/file/146241-0/dl?inline): The burden of defending against criminal charges would diminish the president’s ability to do their job, as would the “public stigma and opprobrium occasioned by the initiation of criminal proceedings.” Additionally, if the president were incarcerated, that would make it “physically impossible for the president to carry out his duties.” There’s little doubt that the current Supreme Court, which recently held that Trump is [immune to prosecution for many crimes he committed while in office](https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf), would embrace the Justice Department’s reasoning. The Court’s decision in _Trump v. United States_, the immunity case, rested on the Republican justices’ belief that, if a president could be indicted for official actions taken in office, he “would be chilled from taking the ‘bold and unhesitating action’ required of an independent Executive.” The kind of justices who favor such “bold and unhesitating action” over ensuring presidential accountability to the law are unlikely to tolerate a prosecution of a sitting president. These same practical considerations would apply with equal force to a state prosecution of a president, and there’s also one other reason why a constitutional limit on state indictments of the president makes sense. Without such a limit, a state led by the president’s political enemies could potentially bring frivolous criminal charges against that president. This argument may not seem particularly compelling when applied to a convicted criminal like Donald Trump. But imagine if, say, Ron DeSantis’s Florida had attempted to indict, try, and imprison President Joe Biden. Or if the state of Mississippi had indicted President Lyndon Johnson to punish him for signing civil rights legislation that ended Jim Crow. In constitutional law, the same rule that applies to liberal democratic presidents like Biden or Johnson must also apply to an anti-democratic president like Trump. One open question is whether Trump could be incarcerated during the lame-duck period before he is sworn into office. The only state that could conceivably do this is New York, the only place where Trump has been convicted. Trump is currently [scheduled for a sentencing hearing on November 26 in that case](https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/06/politics/judge-delays-trumps-sentencing/index.html). The question of whether an already-convicted president-elect can be incarcerated is unique — this situation has thankfully never arisen before in US history, so there’s no definitive law on this subject. But it’s worth noting that neither the New York prosecutors nor the judge overseeing this case have pushed for a quick sentencing process. Judge Juan Merchan chose to [delay sentencing until after the election](https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/06/politics/judge-delays-trumps-sentencing/index.html), and the prosecution did not oppose this move. Merchan may decide to delay matters even further now that Trump has won the election. And even if the sentencing does move forward, the charges against Trump in New York are relatively minor, and [could only result in him being fined or sentenced to probation](https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/06/politics/judge-delays-trumps-sentencing/index.html). Again, there’s never been a state prosecution of a sitting president before, so there are no precedents to rely on here. It’s possible that, once Trump leaves office, New York or Georgia (the other state with an open case against Trump) may try to resume its long-pending prosecutions against him — although that assumes that the 78-year-old Trump survives his second term in office, and that these states still have the will to prosecute him four years from now. The bottom line is that these prosecutions are likely dead. And they are almost certainly going nowhere for the next four years. You’ve read 1 article in the last month Here at Vox, we believe in helping everyone understand our complicated world, so that we can all help to shape it. Our mission is to create clear, accessible journalism to empower understanding and action. If you share our vision, please consider supporting our work by becoming a _Vox Member_. Your support ensures Vox a stable, independent source of funding to underpin our journalism. If you are not ready to become a Member, even small contributions are meaningful in supporting a sustainable model for journalism. Thank you for being part of our community.  Swati Sharma Vox Editor-in-Chief See More: * [Criminal Justice](https://www.vox.com/criminal-justice) * [Donald Trump](https://www.vox.com/donald-trump) * [Policy](https://www.vox.com/policy) * [Politics](https://www.vox.com/politics) * [Supreme Court](https://www.vox.com/scotus)

Donald J. Trump’s chief pollster, Tony Fabrizio, had seen just about everything in his three races working for the controversy-stoking former president. But even he seemed to be bracing for bad news. Mr. Trump had just debated Vice President Kamala Harris, repeatedly taking her bait, wasting time litigating his crowd sizes and spreading baseless rumors about pet-eating immigrants. Mr. Fabrizio had predicted to colleagues that brutal media coverage of Mr. Trump’s performance in a debate watched by 67 million people would lift Ms. Harris in the polls. He was right about the media coverage but wrong about the rest. His first post-debate poll shocked him: Ms. Harris had gained on some narrow attributes, like likability. But Mr. Trump had lost no ground in the contest. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Mr. Fabrizio said on a call with senior campaign leaders, according to two participants. It was yet more proof — as if more were needed — of Mr. Trump’s durability over nearly a decade in politics and of his ability to defy the normal laws of gravity. He overcame seemingly fatal political vulnerabilities — four criminal indictments, three expensive lawsuits, conviction on 34 felony counts, endless reckless tangents in his speeches — and transformed at least some of them into distinct advantages. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F07%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fhow-trump-won-and-how-harris-lost.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F07%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fhow-trump-won-and-how-harris-lost.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F07%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fhow-trump-won-and-how-harris-lost.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F07%2Fus%2Fpolitics%2Fhow-trump-won-and-how-harris-lost.html).

President-elect Donald J. Trump said on Thursday that he would name Todd Blanche, who oversaw his legal defense against multiple indictments, to become the No. 2 official at the Justice Department. The selection of Mr. Blanche, a former supervising federal prosecutor in Manhattan, as the deputy attorney general at the Justice Department serves as a pointed rebuke to the criminal cases against him. A day earlier, Mr. Trump selected Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican and a caustic critic of the F.B.I. and the Justice Department, to become attorney general. Mr. Blanche was Mr. Trump’s lead lawyer at his trial in New York state court this year, which ended in the former president being convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, over a 2016 hush money payment to a porn star. Mr. Blanche forged a unique connection to the president-elect this year, having defended him at trial. For weeks inside a Manhattan criminal courthouse, Mr. Trump and Mr. Blanche sat inches apart, often whispering to each other during long days of legal arguments and testimony. In defending Mr. Trump, Mr. Blanche assembled a legal team that had to fight simultaneously on multiple legal fronts, all amid the pressure of a presidential campaign. Mr. Blanche, 50, left a prestigious law firm to represent Mr. Trump, a client whom few major firms were willing to represent. That gamble now appears to have paid off handsomely for Mr. Blanche. The defense strategy for all of the indictments against Mr. Trump could be boiled down to one word: delay. And in most of the cases it worked, if not exactly how he and his team initially envisioned. Along the way, Mr. Blanche often faced blistering criticism from judges who disliked Trump’s legal arguments, or the candidate’s bombast outside the courtroom. As a young prosecutor, Mr. Blanche handled violent crimes cases in Manhattan federal court, eventually becoming a supervisor in that work. After leaving the prosecutor’s office, he became a private practice defense lawyer. Others on Mr. Trump’s defense team are also in line to receive top assignments: He said he would name Emil Bove, who defended the president in the hush money case, as principal associate deputy attorney general, and D. John Sauer, who represented Mr. Trump before the Supreme Court in arguing that the former president was entitled to broad immunity, as solicitor general.

The Trump Organization says it has leased its brand to two new real estate projects in Saudi Arabia just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — [The Trump Organization](https://apnews.com/article/business-new-york-manhattan-donald-trump-government-and-politics-86177401a887c85ab50d8b78eb1ed397) said Monday it has leased its brand to two new real estate projects in Saudi Arabia just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. It will partner with Dar Global, a London-based luxury real estate developer that will lease the Trump brand but fully own and develop the projects in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The two have partnered on other projects in the region, including the development of [a golf resort in neighboring Oman](https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-business-donald-trump-jamal-khashoggi-aa66c8d54fa34c9d041d3098ae2cdf96). “Following the remarkable success of Trump International Oman, as well as our most recent ventures in Dubai and Jeddah, we are thrilled to announce two additional projects in Riyadh,” Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son who oversees the company's real estate interests, said in a statement. [Trump’s company](https://apnews.com/article/politics-manhattan-donald-trump-indictments-subpoenas-69a6028ab81d369bcc6276fead664954) struck many real estate licensing deals overseas before he entered the White House in 2017, including for hotels and residential towers in Canada, Dubai, Mexico, India and Turkey. Trump’s close ties to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and day-to-day ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, drew heavy criticism after the 2018 killing of [Jamal Khashoggi](https://apnews.com/hub/jamal-khashoggi), a Saudi columnist for the Washington Post who had written critically about the monarchy. Trump’s son-in-law and former senior aide, Jared Kushner, has also drawn scrutiny from Democrats for a reported $2 billion investment from a Saudi sovereign wealth fund for his investment fund, which he started after he left the White House. Kushner had served as Trump's point man for the Middle East and helped broker the 2020 Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Dar Global is the international arm of Dar Al Arkan, a large Saudi developer. It says it has $7.5 billion worth of projects under development in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Spain and Saudi Arabia.