Wall Street Journal: Trump court date before Super Tuesday a ‘spectacular mess’

May 22, 2024

The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal is calling the March 2024 court date set for former President Trump in the Justice Department case regarding his efforts to remain in office after the 2020 election a “mess.”

“What a spectacular mess,” the Journal wrote. “Mr. Trump made himself legally vulnerable with his terrible behavior, but the timing of the 2020 election case is the Justice Department’s doing. Special counsel Jack Smith finally moved to secure an indictment two and a half years after the alleged conduct and less than six months before the 2024 primaries begin.”

A federal judge this week set Trump’s trial date in the case for March 4. That falls one day before Super Tuesday, when hundreds of delegates will be up for grabs in the GOP presidential primary. The Journal said that as a result, “at least some Republican voters from early and Super Tuesday states will probably see their ballots as a chance to protest what they view as unfair treatment of Mr. Trump.”

“Voting for him will be their way of giving the establishment the middle finger,” the newspaper argued, saying Trump could have “the nomination sewn up before a verdict arrives and voters learn whether he’s a convicted felon.”

The Journal, which is owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has long been critical of Trump’s behavior and political rhetoric.

The former president leads most Republican primary polls by double digits and has argued the charges he faces in all four cases in which he has been indicted are political in nature.

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