US politics descends into farce

Donald Trump has been indicted four times this year but the latest charges – in Georgia – are the most problematic. He has been indicted on charges of attempting to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election result, brought under racketeering laws usually reserved for throwing the book at mafia bosses.

If convicted in Georgia, the 77-year-old former president would face a five-year mandatory jail term. Nor would there be any prospect of his receiving a presidential pardon, even if he were to win next year’s election. Georgia is one of only five US states that leave that power entirely to local parole boards. Even Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a fellow Republican, would not have the power to pardon him.

This is the mess Mr Trump and the US are in as he prepares on Monday to release what he calls “a large, complex, detailed but irrefutable report on the presidential election fraud which took place in Georgia”.

It will be his response to what he describes as “the fourth act of election interference on behalf of the Democrats in an attempt to keep the White House under Crooked Joe’s control and jail his single greatest opponent in the 2024 election”.

Mr Trump’s faux bravado is nothing new but he would be foolish to get ahead of himself, despite the huge lead he has over other Republican contenders for next year’s election. The Georgia indictment brings to 91 the charges he now faces across four jurisdictions – New York, Florida, Washington DC and Georgia. Even before the Georgia indictment, he was facing 641 years in prison, in theory, if convicted. What looms ahead is months of campaigning, sandwiched between court appearances.

He is clearly fuelled by polls showing that despite the plethora of criminal charges against him, he retains the backing of much of the Republican Party – a 41 per cent lead over his nearest rival for the nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. That does not change the reality that he is mired in deep legal trouble. The real possibility of his being imprisoned has changed the calculus and is likely to scare away independent, non-Republican swing voters he needs to beat Joe Biden, assuming the President is the Democrats’ candidate.

As the New York Post says: “Most of America is desperate to move on from Trump – and Biden, too.” US supporters around the world heartily agree. With their records, neither man deserves to be in next year’s race. The Georgia indictment shows yet again the urgent need for new and less-tarnished candidates for 2024. The US deserves far better than this interminable farce surrounding the presidency.