Rallying cry

The immunity ruling raises the stakes for Trump’s July 11 sentencing in the New York hush money case. Judge Juan Merchan now stands to be the only judge to weigh criminal punishment against the presumptive Republican nominee as he campaigns to return to the White House.

Trump faces as many as four years in prison for his convictions in the New York case. The most likely outcome is that any sentence — whether jail, probation or another option — will be stayed pending the outcome of his appeal, which would push the resolution well beyond the election.

Trump has turned his legal woes into a rallying cry, energizing supporters and amassing donations from those who have eagerly bought into his claims of political persecution. The former president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., called the ruling “solid” in a post on X but also sought to keep up pressure over the indictments.

“I’m sure the corrupt prosecutors and DC judge will work overtime to continue their lawfare. It’s all they have left,” Trump Jr. said.

But now if Trump defeats Biden, he could direct the Justice Department to dismiss the federal cases against him or pardon himself if he is eventually convicted. That would mean the likelihood of him ever being held legally liable for allegedly seeking to overturn the 2020 election, or his handling of classified documents, is severely diminished.

The court that decided Trump’s immunity was shaped by the former president, who named three justices to the bench. Biden’s allies pointed out that Trump could further expand the conservative majority if he is reelected.

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(With assistance from Greg Stohr.)

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