On Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, former president Donald J. Trump surrendered himself into the hands of law enforcement at the Fulton County Jail and was arrested on felony charges due to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential results in Georgia. Trump was booked, had his mugshot taken, paid his bond, and left the jail—all in the span of 20 minutes.
This is the fourth criminal case that Trump has faced in recent months, and this one he faces along with 18 others who helped him in his efforts. This marks the first time in U.S. history that the president has been indicted at all, let alone four times.
The main evidence that will be presented in the trial is the recording of the phone call between President Trump and Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, when Trump asked Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed in order to win the state of Georgia. Trump also sent Raffenspergerr a letter in Sept. 2021, urging him to decertify the state’s presidential election votes in 2020.
Trump and his associates are officially charged with forgery and racketeering as well as soliciting a public official to violate their oath of office. On top of these past incidents, Trump and his co-defendants are facing Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) charges. RICO is typically used in order to bring down criminal organizations. In this case, Trump and his associates are being accused as a group of working to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Even if Trump is proven guilty and convicted of a felony, he would still be eligible to campaign for president, which he has already begun doing. However, the 14th Amendment of the Constitution prevents anyone who has taken an oath to protect the U.S. and engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” from holding any kind of public office. Other seperate civil lawsuits are also ongoing in an attempt to prevent Trump from running for office again. Despite these cases against him, support for Trump amongst Republican voters is still as strong as ever. Trump is polling upwards of 52 percent among Republican voters, with his closest opponent, Florida Governor Ron Desantis, polling at only 17 percent.
