of the former President of the United States Donald Trump’s the upcoming trial for meddling in the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia will be broadcast live on television and on the YouTube video service.
The matter was decided on Thursday by a judge of the Georgia Fulton County Superior Court Scott McAfee.
Federal courts usually prohibit the filming and recording of hearings. American news channel CNBC’s According to the Fulton County Court, however, it regularly shows the course of court proceedings on its YouTube channel.
The judge’s decision was not surprising, says a researcher at the Foreign Policy Institute Maria Lindén. Georgia state law makes it difficult to prohibit the filming of a trial without good reason.
The live broadcasts put one of the most significant trials in US history under the magnifying glass of Americans and the world. According to Lindén, the televising of the trial brings special significance to the case.
– The television broadcasts will certainly increase the significance of the case for the American public, for whom television still plays an important role.
Lindén speculates that the trial may suffer a similar fate to the televised public hearing that addressed the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. At that time, the broadcasts were mostly watched by those who were already against Trump.
Trump’s upcoming trials are highly politicized, and many in the United States believe it will be a pure car chase. Nevertheless, Lindén believes that the trial will also be watched by some mobile voters and Republican supporters.
– The fact that the country’s former president is accused on television has enormous shock and entertainment value.
According to Lindén, next year’s US presidential election is once again becoming extremely tight. Even a small influence on people’s opinions can decide the outcome of an election.
The case differs from Depp and Heard’s public trial
A foretaste of high-profile televised trials was already given in the United States last year, when a former couple of actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard settled their differences at the Virginia courthouse.
The trial, which lasted almost two months, attracted enormous international attention. At that time, every detail of the court sessions was analyzed to the minute, even outside the courtroom.
According to Lindén, the trial concerning Trump differs from this in many ways.
– The case has a strong political connection and concerns a campaigning presidential candidate whose criminal suspicions are related to his previous presidential term.
– I also don’t think that Trump himself intends to testify in court. The accused usually doesn’t testify against himself, and his lawyers probably don’t want him cutting his own branch there. Trump has a reputation as an absolute defense attorney’s nightmare.
Although filming the trial gives both Trump’s opponents and supporters the opportunity to influence people’s perceptions, Lindén still considers filming the events important.
– Watching the trial live gives people the opportunity to draw their own conclusions, because political camps spread the message through their own filters.
Trump has so far commented on his accusations very limitedly and according to his own script.
At the Fulton courthouse, he no longer holds all the strings in his own hands, and the video footage filmed in court will circulate on social media for a long time.
So far, the charges brought against Trump have not affected his support. According to Lindén, it remains to be seen whether Trump will turn this opportunity to his advantage.
– My personal guess is that this will be more of a disadvantage for him in the final race. Those who believe in a political chase have already decided their position. I think the trial will turn out to be quite a treasure trove for the Democratic camp.
The release of video footage of the trial would not necessarily be helpful to Republicans.
The trial schedule matters
In addition to Trump, 18 allies of the former president, such as Trump’s lawyer, were indicted Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. The trials concerning them are also shown live.
There are a total of 41 charges in the wide-ranging indictment, 13 of which concern Trump himself. Trump has denied all the charges and said they are politically motivated.
Fulton County Attorney Fan Willis suggested March 4 next year as the start date of the trial, says CNBC. It would be just one day before the US presidential election Super Tuesday, during which both Democrats and Republicans will vote in the primaries for their presidential candidate.
The final decision on the start date of Trump’s trial has not yet been made, although the judge decided to advance one of Trump’s co-accused Kenneth Chesebron for the trial to start already in October.
According to Lindén, a lot still has to happen before the cameras start rolling at the Fulton courthouse. According to him, it is possible that the trial will still be transferred to the federal court. In that case, permission to photograph the sessions and the presence of the media would be prohibited.
– Mark Meadows has requested that the case be handled in federal court, as he was employed by the federal government at the time of the alleged crimes. This may create a precedent, on the basis of which the other defendants also try to move the court proceedings to shelter from the eyes of the media and the world.
According to Lindén, the defendants are certainly trying to do everything they can to have the case moved to the federal level. The defense’s assumption is that the jury to be appointed in Georgia may not be sympathetic to Trump.
– When he becomes president, Trump could also pardon himself for a federal crime. He would not be able to pardon himself for a state-level crime. Of course, it is not clear whether the level of the offense would change even if it were tried in federal court.
However, the biggest significance for Trump’s election campaign ultimately lies in whether the trial takes place in the middle of the campaign or after the election.
– I don’t think many Republican candidates would ride on the charges against Trump if the trial takes place during the primaries. Instead, during the final battle, Biden would certainly use it to his advantage.
In the previous elections, Biden’s only weapon was to say: “I’m not Trump”, Lindén estimates. The issues resolved in the Georgia lawsuits may change the situation permanently.