For over two centuries, presidents USA in fact, they were protected from the possibility of bringing personal prosecution against them. The case against the former president Trumphowever, comes to break this taboo by setting a new precedent.

For the first time in American history, a former US president faces criminal charges.

For more than two centuries, American leaders, even those involved in scandals, have been effectively protected by a regime of immunity from the threat of prosecution. And this is not only for the period of their stay in power, but also for the period after their removal from the White House.

When taboos are broken

“Not anymore. This taboo has been broken. A new precedent has been set,” writes Peter Baker in the New York Times, referring to Trump’s prosecution of ex-porn star Stormy Daniels (or Stephanie Clifford, as her real name)), who received money from Republican Party former president to keep her affair with him a secret.

Incidentally, pornographic actress Stormy Daniels allegedly received $130,000 from Donald Trump ahead of the 2016 election through her lawyer to keep their romance hidden. However, the amount in question was not declared in Trump’s campaign accounts, in violation of election law, but was recorded as “legal expenses” in the accounts of the Republican politician’s New York-based company.

Jack L. Goldsmith, a professor of law at Harvard University and a former senior official in the US Department of Justice during the presidency of George W. Bush, argues in an interview with the NY Times that there was a threshold in American legal and political history that is now being crossed by this case.

other Trump cases

If a start is made, more prosecutions against Donald Trump may follow.

It is recalled that the former owner of the White House (2016-2020), who is again running for president on the way to the 2024 elections, has other ongoing legal investigations behind him regarding:

• January 2021 invasion of the Capitol by his followers, which he may have provoked
• the 2020 elections in Georgia, the outcome of which he may have tried to influence
• secret presidential papers he kept at his mansion in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, when he was supposed to return them to the state archives.
• financial and tax fraud that was blamed on his business in New York

Peter Baker of the New York Times even pointedly notes that The Stormy Daniels case is relatively mild compared to the Capitol incidents and the Georgia elections..

When it comes to accountability, the Stormy Daniels case could pave the way for that. Georgia and Washington prosecutors to consider new criminal charges against Trump if they have evidence.

With the case to initiate a criminal case against Trump, the United States enters the field unknown. The New York Times in its analysis acknowledges the unprecedented nature of the case, but emphasizes that there is no law in the United States prohibiting the prosecution of a former president.

Consequences for elections

However, Donald Trump is not just another former president, but a divisive/polarizing figure running for president ahead of 2024.

Trump’s legal escapade is not enough to bar his way back to the White House.

Shadows of toxicity

The question is whether and how this “battle” could affect his election campaign. On this score, opinions, or rather assessments, are divided, as some believe that Trump can really be hurt, while others believe that tension will benefit him.

The Republican side, however, has already rushed to take a position on the side of the former president, directing their “fire” against the Democrats, the federal government and the American justice system. In this context, it is possible that the climate of confrontation within the United States will take on a particularly toxic character, undermining American democracy and institutions.

However, it is worth noting that among those who supported Trump in recent days, there are also his inner-party opponents: former Vice President Mike Pence, former Foreign Secretary Mike Pompeo, and others. In this context, the Stormy Daniels case seems to work like a unifying factor in favor of Trump, but it is worth noting that it is too early to judge how events will develop.

Other leaders who have faced justice

The criminal prosecution of a former president or prime minister may be unprecedented in the US, but in general this is something that has already happened many times internationally, in countries such as: Israel (Ehud Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu), Italy (Silvio Berlusconi ), France (Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy), South Korea (Park Geun-hye) and Taiwan (Chen Sui Bian).

Ominous Predictions

The United States, however, has de facto weight in the international arena, and what happens (politically, legally) in Washington or New York is not limited to them.

The prosecution of Donald Trump is pushing a divided nation into a new chapter of chaos, writes the Financial Times, characterizing not only the unknown, but also the potentially “dangerous” field of events that the US is now entering thanks to this case.