Donald Trump is the accused. The electorate will be the popular jury. This Tuesday, Kamala Harris regains the role of prosecutor with which she made the leap into politics at a rally on the Ellipse in Washington, the park adjacent to the White House estate. It is the scene of the events: from there Donald Trump launched a harangue to his followers on January 6, 2021, before they headed to storm the Capitol. It is an act full of symbolism. The Democratic campaign itself refers to it in terms equal to the judicial ones, as the “final argument”, the moment in which the prosecutor presents the facts, evidence and testimonies and asks that the accused be declared guilty. The verdict will be handed down on November 5.
The facts are clear. Donald Trump refused to accept his electoral defeat against Joe Biden in the 2020 elections. He tried to reverse the result without success. Among other things, together with his advisors, he devised a plan for Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the Democrat’s victory in the joint session of Congress convened for January 6, 2021 and to proclaim him as re-elected president. .
At the Ellipse rally itself, Trump told his followers: “Mike Pence is going to have to cut his losses and, if he doesn’t, it will be a sad day for our country. And Mike Pence, I hope you will stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. And if you don’t, I’m going to be very disappointed in you. I’ll tell you right now.” Afterwards, the insurrectionists headed to the Capitol shouting: “Let’s hang Mike Pence!” They stormed the headquarters of Congress and interrupted the certification of the vote, which was resumed hours later.
The evidence of Trump’s conduct is on the table. Some are simply public. Others came to light in the political process (impeachment) to which the former president was subjected. Of the 100 members of the upper house, 57 voted for the guilty verdict, but did not reach the two-thirds majority necessary for conviction. The House committee that investigated the assault on the Capitol brought to light much more evidence and unanimously found him responsible for the insurrection. Added to these are those that appear in the summary of the case being pursued against Trump in a federal court in Washington. Special prosecutor Jack Smith was able to get a grand jury to indict him on four counts. The delay in the process, and the help of the Supreme Court, has prevented the case from going to trial before the elections.
The testimonies are multiple. There are those that have evidentiary value from a judicial point of view, also incorporated into the case, although under summary secrecy. There are those given by those who appeared before Congress. Furthermore, in this campaign the statements of those who worked side by side with Trump during his presidency have gained prominence and who portray him as a “fascist to the core” who wanted to have “generals like Hitler’s”, like the former chief of the General Staff. , Mark Milley, and his former chief of staff, John Kelly.
A danger to democracy
Harris will accuse Trump of being a danger to democracy. It is an accusation that Biden – who will not attend the rally – brandished with some success in the 2022 legislative elections and to which his replacement on the Democratic ticket initially gave a secondary role. In recent weeks, however, it has become a central theme of his campaign. He appeared by surprise last week at his official residence to make a brief statement on the matter. He accuses him of trying to govern like a dictator, of wanting to persecute his political rivals, whom he defines as the “internal enemy.” It remains to be seen if she openly accuses him of being a fascist, as she has already done on a couple of occasions without actually saying the word herself.
For Harris it is the case of a lifetime. He presents his accusatory argument against Trump at a key moment. The enthusiasm generated by his nomination has died down. Nerves are running high among Democrats due to the former president’s improvement in the polls and the mobilization of Republicans in early voting in decisive states. The Democratic candidate campaigned this Monday in Michigan and will continue her tour on Wednesday and Thursday through the key territories of North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona, where the presidency is at stake.
In addition to impeaching Trump, Harris will try to offer her own proposals for Americans. He will surely insist on the phrases he has repeated over and over again at his rallies: “turn the page,” “chart a new path forward,” “a new generation of leadership,” “put people ahead of partisanship,” or the two different visions of the country, without forgetting another of its mottos: “We will not go back.”
In the District of Columbia, Biden achieved 92% support, compared to Trump’s 5%. He has the capital’s three votes in the Electoral College in his pocket, but he goes to Washington with the idea of launching a national message. This is not the time for Beyoncé or Bruce Springsteen. It remains to be seen if Liz Cheney and other Republicans join her, as they have been doing in some of Harris’ interventions focused on democracy.
The electoral jury’s ruling will be adjusted, according to the polls. Virtually half of voters not only acquit Trump of his role in the assault on the Capitol, but want him back in power. If the former president regains office, the cases against him will be suspended. From his position, he will be able to get the accusations dropped in the two federal cases, that in Washington and that of the classified papers, in Florida. Almost another half of the country supports Harris. Whoever wins this popular trial will be the tenant of the White House for the next four years, just the background decoration of the rally.
