Donald Trump arrest: Seven takeaways from the Bragg indictment

Former President Donald Trump and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg faced off on Tuesday for the first time, with details about the criminal indictment against the former President finally coming to light. The politically seismic event unfolded in front of crowds and hordes of media, kicking off one of the most closely watched criminal proceedings in a generation. Here are seven takeaways from the day.

1. Alleged New Evidence

Bragg informed reporters after the arraignment that his office obtained new evidence to justify bringing the case against Trump. That included more witnesses, which seemed to address a top critique of his case: that he has relied heavily on Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen as a star witness. Cohen has previously lied to investigators and has spoken openly about his vendetta against Trump since the two parted ways during Trump’s presidency, making him an unreliable witness.

2. Legal Experts Aren’t Impressed

Several legal experts panned the structure of Bragg’s argument as a stretch at best. Bragg used a novel hybrid of state and federal laws to bump up a misdemeanor charge, for which the statute of limitations had expired, to a felony. Few legal commentators seemed confident that Trump had actually committed any second crime that would elevate the misdemeanor charges of falsifying business records to the felonies he now faces.

3. Unanswered Questions Remain

The evidence that Trump made hush money payments specifically to affect the 2016 race is thin, at least as represented in the documents made public Tuesday. How and if Bragg plans to prove that Trump broke election law remains unclear.

4. Trump’s Big Dilemma

Trump is caught between an incentive to own up to the hush money payments he made to women claiming to have had affairs with him to strengthen his defense against the crux of Bragg’s case and continue denying the affair to protect his family.

5. Trump Ditched the Preshow

Trump walked solemnly past reporters and said nothing despite news reports suggesting that he was eager to address the public both before and after his court appearance.

6. Biggest Moment of 2024 Campaign

Trump’s indictment has received extensive media coverage so far and could impact his chances of securing the GOP nomination in 2024.

7. People See This as Political

A recent poll showed that while most people believe the criminal case against Trump is politically motivated, a majority of people approve of the indictment.