Former President Donald Trump made history as the first former US president to face criminal charges after being indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The charges relate to a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. The global media has been quick to react, with most UK newspapers carrying pun-heavy headlines such as “Donald (in the) Dock” and “Trump in the eye of the Stormy”. In Brazil, newspaper O Globo sees the case and vast media attention as a “stimulus for online fundraising” and “a lucrative campaign ad”, while French newspaper Le Monde highlights what it called the “political benefits” of the arrest. German daily newspaper Tagesspiegel ran with the headline “Nothing but the truth?”, reflecting Mr Trump’s track record of false or misleading claims.
Mr Trump’s arrest has provoked strong reactions in the media around the world. In Italy, La Stampa says the former President “definitely threw off the mask” in his furiously defiant speech attacking critics, opponents, and the justice system. Pro-Kremlin Russian daily Izvestia leads its coverage of Mr Trump’s arrest with quotes from Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who called the arrest “the crisis of liberalism”. Meanwhile, Chinese state-controlled media did not pay much attention to the court case on its front pages, but there was much discussion of the story on social media site Weibo, with some users even viewing the case as the beginning of a “civil war” in the US.
Mr Trump’s legal troubles may be just beginning, as he now faces 34 criminal charges. This has created uncertainty about his political future, with some commentators suggesting he may not run for the presidency in 2024. However, Mr Trump’s supporters remain staunchly loyal to him, and his arrest may only strengthen their resolve. As the world continues to react to the news of his arrest, one thing is clear: Mr Trump’s legal woes are far from over.
Source: BBC
Advertisement
