Donald Trump’s reaction to his conviction provides a textbook case of demagoguery – which erodes democratic institutions and can prime an audience for violence. His followers went right along.
Donald Trump speaks to the media during a break in his criminal trial in New York on May 30, 2024.
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Donald Nieman, Binghamton University, State University of New York
By focusing on the facts, the public can avoid being distracted by baseless allegations about the Trump verdict that undermine institutions designed to ensure – not weaponize – justice.
Donald Trump leaves the Manhattan courtroom after being found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money trial on May 30, 2024.
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The New York conviction of Trump is unlikely to end the legal saga, which could quickly be appealed and possibly rise to the level of the US Supreme Court.
Former President Donald Trump, accompanied by attorney Todd Blanche, speaks to the media outside Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024.
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Closing arguments tell the jury why the evidence is believable or not, how the facts are linked or not and, most importantly, why their decision to either acquit or convict is moral and just.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump enters Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22, 2024.
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What I teach Harvard Law School students about the importance of opening arguments and how a majority of jurors make up their minds about a case after hearing them.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan Criminal Court on April 19, 2024.
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In criminal trials, a majority of jurors make up their minds about a case after hearing the opening arguments from lawyers.
Former President Donald Trump sits with his attorneys inside a Manhattan courtroom during his arraignment in April 2023.
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How will Trump act during his upcoming court appearance in Manhattan? Surprises are unlikely, but his body language and expressions can help tell a fuller story that will go down in history.
Donald Trump appears outside a Manhattan criminal court on March 25, 2024.
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Despite several efforts to delay the case involving hush money payments to a porn star, Donald Trump becomes the first former US president to go on trial on criminal charges on April 15, 2024.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), right, leaves the U.S. Capitol after the House voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on February 13, 2024 in Washington, DC.
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With its impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the House exercised its oversight power. How can you tell if it was a legitimate use of that power?
Fulton County Sheriff officers block off a street in front of the Fulton County Courthouse on August 14, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Donald Trump faces ‘double the trouble’ as Georgia charges were added to federal charges brought over his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. And that’s thanks to federalism.
Former President Donald Trump speaks out against his federal indictment on June 10, 2023, during a speech in Georgia.
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One of the bedrock principles of the American legal system is that no one is above the law. When it comes to indicting a former US president, political factors must also be weighed.
Eugene Debs, center, imprisoned at the Atlanta Federal Prison, was notified of his nomination for the presidency on the socialist ticket by a delegation of leading socialists who came from New York to Atlanta.
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Presidents have historically criticized judicial decisions. But Trump is taking it a step further with potentially dangerous personal attacks on judges.
Former President Donald Trump sits during his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4, 2023.
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False business records – not hush money payments – are at the heart of New York’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump. But not all the alleged crimes have been revealed.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits with his attorneys for his arraignment at the Manhattan criminal court on April 4, 2023, in New York City.
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A perp walk is often seen as a walk of shame for accused criminals. But this norm is likely to backfire in the case of Trump.
A supporter of former President Donald Trump protests the indictment announcement near Mar-a-Lago, Fla., on March 31, 2023.
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The Manhattan District Attorney will need to prove several different points in its prosecution of Trump. But securing an unbiased jury will also challenge the execution of this unprecedented case.
Donald Trump asked his supporters to protest what he claimed is his imminent indictment.
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When former President Donald Trump summoned his fans to protest over what he called his imminent indictment, a scholar of democracy saw it as an autocratic move.