Former President Donald Trump has been indicted and entered a plea in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against him.
On Tuesday, Trump appeared in a courthouse in Manhattan where he was charged with 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records. He pleaded not guilty.
He then flew back to his home state of Florida and hours later delivered a speech railing against Bragg and the judge and his “Trump-hating” family.
So what comes next?
It will be several months before Trump is back in court.
PICTURE of Former President Donald Trump inside a Manhattan courtroom during his arraignment. pic.twitter.com/mBpWzC3iEL
— Amanda Bossard (@amandabossard) April 4, 2023
Judge Juan Merchan set Dec. 4 as the date for the next hearing in the case.
The date came as prosecutors reportedly pressed for the trial to start in January 2024, shortly before voting in the 2024 Republican presidential primary gets underway.
Iowa is slated to hold its first primary contest on Feb. 4; meanwhile, the New Hampshire primary is scheduled for Feb. 13.
Trump’s team reportedly asked for the trial to start “later in the spring” of 2024.
The former president has also suggested the trial should be moved out of the “very unfair venue” in Manhattan to the “fair and secure location” of Staten Island.
His lawyers are expected to file a motion to dismiss the charges.
A Republican strategist who is supportive of the former president told NBC News, “This entire primary is now guaranteed to be completely dominated by Trump earned-media-wise.”
“Probably the best-case scenario for him, timing-wise,” the strategist continued.
The strategist also suggested it will not be “basically impossible” for conservatives to attack Trump before asking, “How can you effectively land a shot in a way that the base will accept as Democrats are literally trying to put this guy in jail over BS charges?”
Meanwhile, a Democratic strategist suggested Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) “worst nightmare is the fact that he’s going to have to spend the next nine months answering questions about how he feels about Donald Trump’s indictment.”
“We all know the overwhelming base of the Republican Party right now are MAGA voters, and you can’t alienate them,” the strategist added.
