The date is not there yet, but that of Donald Trump in Atlanta for the attempt to subvert the vote in Georgia in 2020 will certainly be a show trial, while very heavy sentences are already pouring in for the leaders of the far-right group Proud Boys for the assault on the Capitol.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee has in fact decided, in the name of transparency, that the hearing will be broadcast entirely live on the YouTube channel managed by the court and therefore also on radio and TV. Authorized access for photographers as well. The trial that the tycoon fears most due to the extent of the possible sentence and the impossibility of a presidential pardon will therefore be broadcast worldwide, given that these are state crimes.
For the first time, the cameras will be able to fully capture the hearings of one of the four trials awaiting the former president, who remains firmly in command of his Republican rivals in polls for the White House.
The latest "presidential" trials on TV date back to the impeachment of Bill Clinton and the two of Trump, who nevertheless refrained from appearing in Congress. But now he will be forced to sit in the embarrassing dock of a court, having once again pleaded "not guilty".
Experts are already divided on the media effect: according to some it will be demolished by the "overwhelming" evidence of the prosecution; for others, however, the tycoon, a consummate manipulator of the masses, will transform the trial into a TV show in his favor.
However, the judge has not yet set the start date. Trump's defense has asked for his position to be removed because he would have no way of examining the papers: the goal is to extend the time as much as possible to avoid a possible conviction before the primaries or the nomination convention.
In the meantime, harsh sentences are raining down for the attack on the Capitol after the tycoon's incendiary rally: 17 years for former Iraq war veteran Joseph Biggs, 15 for Zachary Rehl, 10 for Dominic Pezzola, the last two ex marines. Now it's up to the boss, Enrique Tarrio, who risks up to 33 years.
