Will there be another election in the US or will DJ Trump change the tune?
By Austin Manekator
In a watershed moment in the history of the United States of America, Presidency, Donald J. Trump takes the oath of office today, Monday, January 20 in an extraordinary record-setting manner. When the 45th becomes the 47th President today, he would reclaim the presidency that he lost to Joe Biden in 2020 after a highly divisive and caustic campaign.
Trump, who was convicted just ten days ago in a New York courtroom, becomes the first U.S. president to assume office as a felon. He is still manacled by half a dozen other trials that have been suspended or withdrawn because of his election victory. His second term is also a milestone as the only president to serve non-consecutive terms in more than a century, a feat last achieved 132 years ago by Grover Cleveland in 1893.
Trump’s conviction stems from 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, tied to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to conceal allegations of extramarital affairs he had with American porn star, Stormy Daniel. The Wall Street Journal unearthed the sordid details of the controversy when it reported in 2018 that Trump’s Attorney Michael Cohen paid US$130,000 to the adult movie star to buy her silence during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Photo: Adult film star, Stormy Daniels testified at Trump trial
The convicted President was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, a move that allowed him to avoid prison, fines or probation. Despite getting an unconditional discharge ‘to protect the presidency’ by Judge Juan Merchan, Trump burnished his status as the first convicted felon to be sworn in as he took the oath of office for his second term. He is also the first president to refuse to concede victory to his opponents, as he continues to tout first claims that he won the 2020 election.
In the short hearing, conducted virtually, New York prosecutors lambasted the President-elect for engaging in a “direct attack on the rule of law” and making efforts to “undermine its legitimacy” by attacking the judge and others involved in the case.
Photo: The face of a felon – Trump’s mugshot
Judge Juan Merchan issued an unconditional discharge, sparing Trump from jail time, probation, or fines, after the Supreme Court declined to block the sentencing, ensuring Trump’s path to today’s inauguration proceeded unhindered.
“To be clear, the protections afforded to the office of the president are not a mitigating factor. They do not reduce the seriousness of the crime or justify its commission in any way. The protections are, however, a legal mandate which, pursuant to the rule of law, this court must respect and follow,” says the judge.
Trump has vowed to appeal the conviction and with his key allies and loyalists poised to take up strategic seats and positions in the U.S. Justice Department, he could easily win.
The Stormy Daniels case was one of many stormy legal battles Trump faced in recent times. He was on the path to being convicted for several other cases, including for election interference resulting from his defeat by President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, but has now been saved by his election victory.
As Trump prepares to place his hand on the Bible at the Capitol—a site still haunted by the events of January 6, 2021—both supporters and detractors gather across Washington, D.C., to mark the occasion. His followers see his return as a vindication of their belief in his leadership, while protesters argue his re-election represents a grave erosion of democratic norms.
Trump’s presidency continues to be defined by groundbreaking firsts. Beyond his status as a convicted felon, he is also the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice: first in 2019 for abuse of power related to Ukraine and then in 2021 for inciting the Capitol riot. His refusal to concede the 2020 election and the subsequent legal battles have further entrenched his polarizing legacy.
In his inaugural speech today, Trump is expected to double down on his “America First” policies, including promises of mass deportations, tighter immigration controls, and a focus on cultural conservatism. These campaign pledges resonate deeply with his base but are widely criticized by his opponents as divisive and authoritarian.
International leaders are watching closely as Trump retakes the helm of the world’s most powerful nation. Allies are recalibrating their strategies in response to his unpredictable style, while adversaries brace for renewed confrontation. Domestically, the challenges of governing with a criminal record loom large. Questions about how his conviction might affect his ability to access classified information or engage in diplomacy remain unanswered.
The significance of today’s ceremony cannot be overstated. Trump’s rise from businessman and reality TV star to president, his defeat and refusal to accept it, and his unprecedented comeback have reshaped and stretched the boundaries of American politics. He is the first president without prior political or military experience, having leveraged his media presence to rally a base deeply committed to his vision of America.
As Trump takes the oath of office, the nation is at a crossroads. His presidency will test the resilience of democratic institutions, the rule of law, and the capacity for unity in a deeply divided country. For better or worse, January 20, 2025, marks the beginning of a new chapter in the Trump saga—and in American history.
With a strong political base and a firm grip on the Republican Party, there is no telling how far the first U.S. president to instigate attack on the very bastion of the country’s democratic institutions would do. Only time would unravel if he would keep his promise that Americans would not have to vote again after his victory.
The world watches with uneasily.
President Trump’s Many Legal Battles (culled from Reuters)
GEORGIA ELECTION SUBVERSION CASE
Trump and 18 of his allies were charged in 2023 in what prosecutors alleged was a sprawling conspiracy to undo Trump’s defeat in the battleground state of Georgia in the 2020 election. The prosecution stalled after an appeals court disqualified the district attorney in the case over her undisclosed affair with the lead prosecutor on the case, but it could potentially go forward under a new prosecutor.
FLORIDA CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE
Federal prosecutors overseen by U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump and two associates in June 2023 with allegedly mishandling classified documents after Trump left office. A judge dismissed the case in 2024, and the U.S. Department of Justice dropped its appeal of that ruling pertaining to Trump after he won the 2024 election because department policy bars federal prosecutors from prosecuting sitting presidents.
WASHINGTON, D.C., ELECTION SUBVERSION CASE
Smith separately charged Trump in Washington, D.C., in August 2023 over his efforts to undo his 2020 election loss. A judge dismissed the case in November after Smith said it could not go forward while Trump was president.
NEW YORK CIVIL FRAUD CASE
In September 2023, a New York judge found Trump liable for fraud for inflating his net worth to dupe lenders and later ordered him to pay $454 million in penalties, an amount that has since grown with interest.
Trump has denied wrongdoing and is appealing.
E. JEAN CARROLL SEXUAL ABUSE, DEFAMATION CIVIL CASES
Trump was found liable for defaming and sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in two separate lawsuits over an alleged incident in the 1990s where Carroll said Trump assaulted her in a Manhattan department store. Juries ordered Trump to pay Carroll a total of more than $88 million in damages.
Trump has denied assaulting or defaming Carroll and is appealing.
