The whole world is wondering whether the former president will be handcuffed in court, and how this whole story will affect the 2024 elections in America.
Of course, one cannot say that American political life has always been without scandals. How could we not recall the story of Bill Clinton and trainee Monica Lewinsky, which almost led to his impeachment? However, Clinton managed to hold on to his job at the time.
Or "Watergate," which led to Richard Nixon's resignation when, in 1972, his supporters were caught installing listening devices at the Democratic Party headquarters during the 1972 election campaign. Incidentally, it was the only case in U.S. history in which a president had to terminate his term early.
But what is happening now in the U.S. before the presidential election probably overrides all previous scandals in American political life.
So, in order: former American president Donald Trump is facing criminal charges, which is the first time in U.S. history. He is accused of giving porn star Stormy Daniels, with whom he had a relationship, $130,000 - a bribe to keep quiet - during his first presidential campaign in 2016. And the lawyer's fee, who handed over the money, turned out to be paid from the budget, as legal fees. And that turned out to be the main crime.
And if he fails to appear in court, he may be arrested at his Florida residence and brought in handcuffs to New York.
It looks like this may come to pass as a grand jury (of 23 people) returned a guilty verdict for Trump, voting to indict after a 30-minute appearance by a witness whose identity is not disclosed.
Details of the charges are not yet known - they will only be made public after he has appeared before the Manhattan prosecutor who is handling his case.
Trump's appearance at the district attorney's office is due next Tuesday, where by law he will be fingerprinted and photographed in profile and full-face.
Just imagine this fantastic picture - the former president of the country posing for a police photographer with a plate with his name and surname written on it! And if he doesn't come to court voluntarily, he will be arrested and brought in handcuffs. The judge will then have to decide whether Trump can post bail and leave him free.
And that's not the end of the story. Then a grand jury will hear the witnesses, and the jury must decide whether the ex-president is guilty or not.
Next comes the most interesting question: can Trump run for president of the United States even if a jury finds him guilty? Under U.S. law, yes, he can! There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that says that a criminal conviction removes a presidential candidate from the race. However, Trump could also go to jail. After all, in addition to the porn star story, he faces 30 charges, including violation of his campaign financing and financial fraud.
And the most interesting thing is that it is not clear whether the accusations made will play for or against the ex-president if he runs for a new term. On the one hand, it could cause voters to reject his candidacy, on the other hand, as they say, any publicity is good, except for the obituary.
Obviously, the Republicans are rooting for their leader, which Trump undoubtedly is. His Republican running mate and governor of Florida, DeSantis, accused the district attorney, a Democrat by the way, of unleashing a totally political case. Young politician DeSantis has not officially declared his candidacy for the election but by all preliminary polls Trump is seriously ahead of him.
On Twitter, Ron DeSantis called the indictment "inconsistent with the American spirit." "Turning the legal system into a weapon to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law upside down," he wrote, and added that Florida authorities do not intend to help extradite Trump to New York for indictment.
A seasoned political fighter Trump immediately decided to use the allegations as political retaliation before the election, and announced that he would be arrested on Tuesday. Trump called on his supporters for street actions in defense of democracy and the country.
But won't he be blamed if there are serious confrontations, as was the case with the Senate seizure?
The situation began to heat up. House Republicans demanded an explanation from District Attorney Bragg, accusing him of abusing his power and attempting to remove a former U.S. president from the race. "By attempting to interfere in the 2024 presidential election, the New York district attorney has irreparably damaged the nation," said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. "Criminal prosecution of anyone who commits a serious crime is key to keeping Americans safe, but politically motivated prosecutions threaten to turn the American legal system into a tool for abuse," said Mike Pompeo, who served as head of the State Department during the Trump administration. The prosecutor, on the other hand, struck back by blaming Trump.
"Donald Trump has created a false expectation that he will be arrested the next day. None of the facts are legitimate grounds for a congressional investigation," Bragg responded in a letter to House representatives.
Curiously, President Biden and the White House have avoided any assessment or commentary on all of these events. It is clear that they are in a strange situation: if they blame Trump, they will lose points in the eyes of voters by showing their involvement in the campaign against him. Meanwhile, the former president smashes his Democratic opponents without hesitation: "The American people are well aware of what the radical left-wing Democrats are doing here. Everyone sees it. And our movement, our united and strong party... will defeat Joe Biden, and we will kick every last corrupt Democrat out of power, and then we will restore America to its former glory!"
So now everyone is getting ready for the show -- Tuesday's court appearance of Donald Trump, who is facing criminal charges.
Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said he understood from prosecutors that the former American president would not be handcuffed when he surrendered to authorities. But knowing Americans' love of the show and the sophistication of political combat, anything is possible.
For Americans, this will be a powerful blow to their worldview. And to the entire U.S. political system.