Trump could be Republican nominee before voters know if he’ll be convicted
Former president may have nomination locked down before party ‘knows if he’s a felon’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump may be the Republican nominee for president before voters know if he’ll be convicted in any of the legal cases against him.
The New York Times reports that the former president may have the nomination locked down before the party “knows if he’s a felon”.
Mr Trump is displeased that DC federal Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled on the issue of when the trial will take place in the special counsel’s case against him for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
He has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
The New York Times notes that the Republicans won’t have many choices if Mr Trump is convicted of several felonies.
He may have already gathered the support of enough delegates to in practice to claim the nomination even before the trial for his election subversion efforts is concluded.
Mr Trump’s trial is set to begin on 4 March 2024, by which time five states will already have voted, according to the current schedule. On 5 March, 15 states will vote as part of “Super Tuesday”, including California and Texas, states with many delegates to hand out.
Super Tuesday is likely to reveal if a challenger to Mr Trump will remain an alternative to GOP voters.
Just two weeks after that, Florida, Ohio, and Illinois are set to vote.
Two of those states, Florida and Ohio, are states where the winner is awarded all of the delegates regardless of their level of support.
In the past, winner-take-all primaries have boosted a frontrunner’s road to the nomination, the paper notes. Mr Trump’s trial on the federal level is set to not even close to ending by that time if it sticks to the current schedule.
The Trump team has worked to ensure Mr Trump’s primary victories can’t be undone, even if things don’t go his way in the courts, according to The New York Times.