Donald Trump, the former president who does not stop filing lawsuits: Who is his new victim? | United States | WORLD

LOOK: Trump, Biden and Pence: How bad is it that classified US documents end up in your homes?

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1 Fine for vague and frivolous claims

2 Effect on the people and the campaign

This week, none other than Bob Woodward, a Pulitzer-winning journalist recognized throughout the world for having uncovered half a century ago -along with Carl Bernstein- the Watergate Case, which led to the resignation of US President Richard Nixon, has been added to that list. .

The reason? The publication of the audiobook “The Trump Tapes” with the 20 interviews that the veteran reporter recorded during the presidency of the Republican leader for his book “Rage”, which was published in September 2020.

According to the former head of state's lawsuit, filed in the Pensacola (Florida) courts, the recorded tapes "should only be used for the written word, that is, to help in the accuracy of his book" and not for an audiobook, which " It's an open and blatant attempt to make me look as bad as possible."

Next, Trump claims Woodward and the publishing house Simon & Schuster for compensation of nearly $50 million, calculating that at least 2 million copies of the audiobook have been sold at $25 each.

In a joint statement, Woodward and his publishers stress that the lawsuit lacks merit: “All interviews were official and were recorded with the consent of the president. It is in the public interest to have this historical record in Trump's own words. We trust that the facts and the law are in our favor.”

Fine for vague and frivolous claims

What is striking is that this new legal attack on the former ruler comes less than two weeks after a federal judge in West Palm Beach (Florida) fined him almost a million dollars for filing a false lawsuit -in March of last year- in against Hillary Clinton, her rival in the 2016 elections, and people around the Democratic leader, accusing them of orchestrating a conspiracy against him.

But not only Judge Donald Middlebrooks decreed that. He accused the former head of state of carrying out "a pattern of abuse of the courts" by filing "vague and frivolous lawsuits" for political purposes, which "undermine the rule of law and represent obstruction of justice."

Something like a reprimand for wasting the time of justice with lawsuits that should not even be admitted for processing due to their legal efforts. “This case in point is nothing more than a hodgepodge of unconnected facts followed by an inadmissible conclusion that together represent a deliberate attempt to harass", sentenced the judge.

And Middlebrooks' punchline in the sentencing was anthology, describing Trump as “a genius at strategic abuse of the judicial process and a prolific litigator who uses the courts to exact revenge on his political enemies.

Effect on the people and the campaign

In dialogue with HIF7, Hernán Molina, an Argentine political analyst based in Los Angeles (USA), talks about this 'modus operandi' of Joe Biden's predecessor: “He litigates to extend deadlines and gain time, but always building a beneficial narrative for him and never attached to the truth, although it has served him a lot”.

Examples? “He questioned the validity of Obama's citizenship, he questioned Biden, he questioned the result of the last election, and many people have believed him, it is a strategy that has worked for both him and the base of the Republican Party”.

And how will all this affect his efforts to be elected president again? Molina points out that, regardless of whether their lawsuits are successful or not in court, for public opinion (not only Trump's base but the entire electorate) disillusioned with Trump and Biden, that is, "the independents who are increasingly one more time”, this is an opportunity for others.

“I understand that there are very large donors who previously supported Trump who are now willing to go with Ron DeSantis (the Republican governor of Florida), who is popular in his state and represents the new generation. Trump is the past and has lost three elections, DeSantis is the future and won overwhelmingly a few months ago, the question is to see what will happen in the Republican primaries”, highlights Molina.

The truth is that presented his formal candidacy in November 2022, the Republican tycoon has been having more difficulties than expected to raise funds for his campaign. And on the horizon is not only Ron DeSantis as his contender in the Republican ranks, but also Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN during his presidency.