Donald Trump is poised to become the first former U.S. president to face a criminal trial, a watershed moment for American democracy as the Republican nominee fights a divisive battle to retake the White House.
The New York trial starting Monday over the alleged falsification of business records to conceal a sex scandal during Trump’s 2016 campaign is one of four criminal cases against the former president, but it’s the only one set to go to trial before his November rematch against President Joe Biden.
The trial marks an extraordinary moment even for Trump, raising the prospect that he could become a convicted felon before a single vote is cast. It also risks further inflaming tensions between Americans who see Trump as a serial offender and those who agree with his assertion that he’s a victim of a Democratic “witch hunt.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case is focused on …