Trump's Terms

For this episode of Trump's Trials , NPR voting rights correspondent Hansi Lo Wang takes a look at what have been known as "fake electors" returning for the 2024 election. Four years ago, these Republican electors gathered in seven mainly swing states where Trump lost the popular vote to sign certificates that became part of a scheme by the former president and his allies to try to overturn the el...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered host Mary Louise Kelly speaks with NPR politics reporter Ximena Bustillo . New York Judge Juan Merchan delayed former President Donald Trump's sentencing in the hush money fraud case to November 26th, after the presidential election. In May, a jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records related to payments m...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro speaks with NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson . The Justice Department is looking to salvage the federal election interference case against Trump following the Supreme Court's ruling that he has considerable immunity from criminal prosecution for acts carried out while he was president. Follow the show on Apple Podc...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered Host Ailsa Chang speaks with Voting Correspondent Miles Parks . Georgia recently changed a voting rule that could allow some local election boards the ability to refuse to certify results. NPR's Miles Parks breaks down the concerns over this rule change and why some experts believe the courts are a strong backstop to possible certification...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, host Scott Detrow takes a look back at an unbelievable summer in politics. NPR's Domenico Montanaro looks ahead at what to expect over the next 66 days of campaigning. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for new episodes each Saturday. Sign up for sponsor-free episodes and support NPR's political journalism at plus.npr.org/trumpstrials . Email the show...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered Host Ailsa Chang speaks with Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson . The Justice Department has obtained a new grand jury indictment in the federal election interference case against Donald Trump. The move comes weeks after the Supreme Court gave the former president substantial immunity from prosecution. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts o...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow speaks with Constitutional expert Kim Wehle . Federal Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed former President Donald Trump's classified documents case on Monday. Cannon ruled the appointment of Jack Smith to special counsel was unconstitutional and therefore the indictment should be dismissed. Trump faced 40 felony counts for allegedly taking classifie...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered's Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR's Greg Allen and Carrie Johnson . Federal Judge Aileen Cannon has dismissed former President Donald Trump's classified documents case in Florida. The ruling argued that the initial appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional. Most legal observers saw the case as the one with the most clear-c...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, host Scott Detrow speaks with Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky, the authors of How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority . The Supreme Court's landmark decision ruling that president's enjoy broad immunity from criminal prosecution stunned many constitutional experts. Ziblatt and Levitsky see it as the latest move that has put America's democracy in dang...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , host Domenico Montanaro speaks with former deputy assistant attorney general Harry Litman . The Supreme Court's landmark decision on presidential immunity is complicating all of the pending legal cases against former President Donald Trump. Even the hush money trial where he was already convicted is getting a second look to determine what, if any, evidence viol...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson . In 1974 the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in United States v. Nixon, that Nixon must to comply with a subpoena and hand over his White House tapes. It was a blow to Nixon's presidency and two weeks later he resigned from office. But what would've happened if today's S...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang speaks with University of Baltimore law professor Kim Wahle and later, NPR senior editor and political correspondent Domenico Montanaro . In a 6-to-3 decision, along ideological lines, the Court ruled that presidents have absolute immunity for their core constitutional powers, and are entitled to a presumption of immunity f...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson . The Supreme Court ruled federal prosecutors improperly charged hundreds of January 6ths defendants — and potentially, even former President Donald Trump. The majority found the charge — obstructing an official proceeding — does not apply unless the Justice Department can prove a defendant...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson and with retired federal judge Shira Scheindlin . Judge Aileen Cannon continues to make decisions in the Florida classified documents case that strike some legal observers as odd. Retired federal judge Shira Scheindlin gave us her view on Cannon's choices and why she thinks Cannon is moving...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro . It's been a little over a week since a jury found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony counts in the New York hush money trial. Unsurprisingly, Republicans and conservative commentators have stood by Trump claiming, without evidence, that the trial was...

Now that former President Donald Trump has been convicted on 34 felony counts, many Americans are wondering what comes next? Will he file an appeal? Will he be sentenced to jail? And how will his conviction affect the presidential race? Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow gets into all these questions and more with NPR Senior Political Editor and Correspondent Domenico Montanaro and Justice Corresp...

Never before has a former or sitting U.S. president been convicted of felony crimes. Until now. A jury of 12 New Yorkers found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Hosts Scott Detrow and Juana Summers are joined by an NPR roundtable — Justice Corre...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , we hand the mic over to Consider This. Host Juana Summers speaks with Fordham law professor Adam Shlahet. Jurors heard closing arguments on Tuesday in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. It's now up to them to decide whether Trump falsified business records to cover up an alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 pres...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow speaks with legal expert Harry Litman . Closing arguments in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial are expected to begin on Tuesday. And if all goes according to plan, the jury will begin deliberations on Wednesday. That means there's a chance a verdict is reached as soon as next week. We break down three possible outcomes the jury...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR correspondent Greg Allen . In Florida, Federal Judge Aileen Cannon held a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday to dismiss the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump and two co-defendants. And in Georgia, both the prosecutor and judge in Trump's election interference case have won elections...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein . Testimony in Former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York is now in the books. The prosecution and the defense have rested, and Trump did not testify. Topics include: - Testimony from the defense's witnesses - What's next Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for new...

For this episode of Trump's Trials, All Things Considered host Ailsa Chang speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein . The prosecution has rested its case with the conclusion of its star witness Michael Cohen in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial. Topics include: - Cohen's testimony - What's next Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for new episodes each Saturday. Sign up for sponso...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR political reporter Ximena Bustillo and Boston University law professor Jed Shugerman . The prosecution's star witness, Michael Cohen was on the stand for three days this week. He testified about the alleged scheme to pay off adult film star Stormy Daniels and the alleged business fraud that followed. Cohen placed former Preside...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered host Juana Summers speaks with NPR political reporter Ximena Bustillo . The prosecution's star witness Michael Cohen was back on the stand today in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial. Trump's defense team took direct aim at Cohen's credibility, asking him about his criminal history, times he's lied and questioned his memory o...

For this episode of Trump's Trials , All Things Considered host Juana Summers speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein and attorney Kim Wehle . Donald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen spent a second day on the witness stand testifying against his one time boss. Cohen mostly testified about purposefully mislabeling checks, false receipts and his previous loyalty to Trump. Cohen was aggressively cross-e...