US wary as emotions may flare up over Trump issue

Will Donald Trump’s first appearance in federal court on criminal charges lead to any violence? This is the primary apprehension of the US authorities now. Not just about the appearance itself, but the very nature of the indictment that he is facing and the charges against him are enough to ‘provoke’ the Republicans into ‘action’. Politics, like elsewhere in the world, have become quite bitter in the US.

Politicians are ‘addressing the concerns” of their supporters and vote banks more instead of following the old world etiquette. The intensity of the general restlessness witnessed in the societies is getting reflected in the debates and discussions, too. This, in turn, is spilling over to the streets. On the other hand, various online fora are triggering enough heat to become a challenge to the law and order machinery. In addition, Trump is not known for any humble or sweet demeanour and his political allies are also not so mild in their outlooks and outpourings. All this has put the law enforcement officials on a high alert.

Trump is facing a 37-count federal indictment, 31 of which allege he willfully kept classified documents in his possession after leaving the White House. Media reports from the US suggest that the authorities were monitoring plans for pro-Trump rallies in Miami, including one outside the federal courthouse on Tuesday purportedly organised by a local chapter of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, some leaders of which were found guilty of seditious conspiracy.

This is the first time a former President has been indicted in a case. Trump, who leads the Republican field in early polling for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination, was arraigned in a New York court in April. Trump’s concern is that the federal charges pose a serious legal threat to him and carry potentially harsher punishments if found guilty. In fact, he has been charged for the second time since he was indicted in March. FBI agents found more than 100 classified documents during a search of Trump’s residence at his Mar-a-Lago Club as part of a criminal probe. On June 8, Trump was indicted in the case.

The Justice Department is investigating the January 6, 2021, riot and whether Trump or his aides may have conspired to obstruct the formal certification in Congress of the 2020 election result or committed fraud to block the peaceful transfer of power, the legal documents suggest. Then there is the Georgia election results investigation, the Manhattan district district attorney investigation and then there is a lawsuit on Trump’s business practices.

How will all this play out in the near future is to be seen. This is the last thing that the US needs now amid the crisis that it faces on various fronts including its economy. Joe Biden himself is no more a cheering news to the Americans what with his failing health and his ridiculous observations that raise serious questions on his state of mind. Trump’s issue gets complicated by the fact that most of his supporters are National Rifles’ Association members. One of them had commented the other day, “If you want to get to President Trump, you’re going to have to go through me, and you’re going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me.”