Former President Donald Trump has dominated his fellow Republican presidential hopefuls in the primary throughout all of 2023 and is banking on winning the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, the first nominating contest of the 2024 season.
But through 2023, the former president faced several major obstacles that would have destroyed any other presidential candidate.
OATH OF OFFICE: BIDEN TOOK OUT TRUMP ONCE, BUT DID HE RESTORE THE ‘SOUL OF THE NATION?’
Nevertheless, Trump has only seen his poll numbers and fundraising figures increase as he steamrolls all his competitors. He now leads his rivals by double digits, and in Iowa, 51% of likely caucusgoers chose Trump as their first choice, according to an NBC News-Des Moines Register-Mediacom poll.
Here are three of the top moments of Trump’s campaign in 2023.
Trump gets mug shot as part of unprecedented 91 felony counts
Trump made history on Aug. 24 as the first former president to have a mug shot taken when he was booked at the Fulton County, Georgia, jail. Wearing a navy-colored suit and red power tie, Trump was given a prisoner identification number, fingerprinted, and had his booking photo taken.
The mug shot quickly went viral after he posted the photo on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the message “ELECTION INTERFERENCE … NEVER SURRENDER … DONALDJTRUMP.COM.” This was the first time he posted on X since after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in 2021.
The former president appeared at the jail due to a fourth and final indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who announced a sweeping 41-count indictment against Trump and 18 others over their efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results in August. Trump faces 13 indictments, including racketeering charges and solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, among other charges.
In total, Trump faces 91 indictments against him across four criminal cases. It’s an unprecedented situation for a twice-impeached former president. The consequences of the legal drama will play out next year as Trump appears in court.
Trump’s first indictment came in late March after a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump over a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg unsealed the indictment against Trump, who faces 34 felony charges for falsifying business records.
The second indictment came two months later on June 8 when Trump took to Truth Social to announce that his lawyers had been notified he would be indicted. The next day on June 9, a federal grand jury in Miami indicted Trump and his aide Walt Nauta for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
On July 27, special counsel Jack Smith released a superseding indictment that added three more charges to the ones Trump already faced related to the classified documents case and another co-defendant to the case, maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira. Including the superseding indictment, the total charges against Trump for improperly mishandling sensitive documents rose to 40, up from the 37 federal charges that were first announced.
Smith indicted Trump again on Aug. 1 over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the subsequent Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump faces four charges in the case: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
Trump turns New York civil fraud trial into campaign stage
Trump’s New York City civil fraud trial provided a new backdrop for his campaign, which has largely centered on railing against the weaponization of the federal government. Trump was not required to attend the ongoing court case, but he has made dramatic entrances to the courthouse on several occasions, most notably perhaps on Oct. 2, the first day of the $250 million New York civil trial.
Trump, speaking to reporters outside the courtroom ahead of the hearing, took aim at New York Attorney General Letitia James in particular, calling her a “racist” attorney general and blasting the trial as a “scam” and a “sham.”
“Everything was perfect. There was no crime,” Trump said. “The crime is against me.”
When the court recessed for lunch, Trump took the opportunity to set his sights on New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, calling for him to be disbarred and accusing him of “interfering with an election.”
“This is a judge that should be disbarred. This is a judge that should be out of office,” Trump said. “This is a judge that some people say could be charged criminally for what he’s doing. He’s interfering with an election, and it’s a disgrace.”
Trump has taken full advantage of the media presence at his legal hearings, often using the court’s recess time to deliver impromptu statements and boost his campaign.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, his two adult sons, and two Trump Organization executives last year over allegations they committed business fraud by inflating Trump’s net worth by billions of dollars in financial statements.
Trump has denied wrongdoing in the New York civil trial and throughout the four criminal cases he is battling, alleging he’s under legal attack for purely political reasons. His outbursts against court officials have landed him a gag order from Engoron and in his federal Jan. 6 case.
Trump skips first GOP primary debate in favor of interview with Tucker Carlson
Instead of participating in the first GOP primary debate held on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Trump had other plans.
In a move meant to take attention away from his rivals, Trump released a 46-minute interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, excoriating his GOP competitors, President Joe Biden, and the four criminal cases against him.
The interview was released on X just five minutes before the debate started in a major snub to the Republican National Committee and Fox News. “I just felt it would be more appropriate not to do the debate. I don’t think it’s right to do it,” Trump told Carlson.
Trump also declared that his top rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), was “gonzo” and that Fox News was finished with him, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was a “savage maniac,” and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was “weak and pathetic.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Although the RNC held four debates, Trump snubbed every event, opting instead to hold counterprogramming events. For the second debate in Simi Valley, California, on Sept. 27, Trump held a prime-time speech in Michigan to striking United Auto Workers.
The third debate was held in Miami on Nov. 8. But just 30 minutes away in Hialeah, Florida, Trump was holding a campaign rally that started roughly the same time as the third debate. However, for the fourth debate on Dec. 6, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Trump chose to participate in a fundraiser in Florida, largely ignoring his competition.
