Bomb-sniffing dogs, members of the press, and a small crowd of protesters gathered outside downtown Miami’s Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Courthouse this past Tuesday, all hoping to catch a glimpse of former President Donald Trump making a historic entrance into federal court.
On June 9, Trump was officially indicted by a grand jury in South Florida for allegedly retaining classified federal documents from his presidency in his Mar-a-lago residence. His arraignment marks the first time in American history that these charges will be brought against a president.
Though his staff turned over 15 cases of documents, as requested by the National Archives and the Department of Justice, widespread national attention emerged last August when an FBI raid revealed over 100 more boxes of documents in Trump’s Palm Beach home.
As a result of the indictment, the former commander in chief now faces 37 counts of federal charges, chief among them counts of conspiracy and obstruction of justice in accordance with the Espionage Act. Both of these charges hold the most serious consequences, each carrying a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and fines of $250,000.
“I went ahead and read the 49-page indictment, and I’m just really shocked at the nature of the documents Trump allegedly had,” said Andrew McCleskey, a rising senior studying political science.
“It’s not as if we’re talking about minor documents– it’s information on nuclear programs, US military vulnerabilities, military plans, etc.”
As the arraignment proceedings took place in the Miami federal courthouse, Trump was accompanied by his legal team, who officially submitted a not guilty plea on his behalf.
The news of Trump’s indictment and arraignment has undoubtedly sparked various reactions across the nation, especially in Miami.
The politically-charged city is split between supporters who argue that the charges aim to undermine Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and critics in favor of holding a powerful figure accountable for alleged misconduct.
Many protestors, including a local chapter of the Proud Boys, waited outside of the courthouse during the arraignment proceedings in an effort to show their solidarity with the former president.
Most notably after his court appearance, Trump also made a brief stop at one of Miami’s most popular social and political hubs, Versailles Cuban Café. A number of Trump’s supporters waited both inside and outside of the famous restaurant to greet the former president.”Food for everyone!” Trump said, which sent the loyal crowd into an even greater frenzy.
He would go on to shake hands, pray with religious leaders and take pictures with several people in attendance.
“He gets arraigned on 37 counts and he could have taken the expressway straight to the airport and flown back to his Bedminster fundraiser,” Evelio Medina, who helped arrange Trump’s Versailles visit, told the Miami Herald.
“Instead, he comes here to hug his Latin people and share a cafecito.”
With much of the city’s population including Cuban, Venezuelan and other Latino exiles having fled their own authoritative governments, the political strife is especially visible as many wonder what the implications of a federal prosecution against a former president will be.
“Honestly, I’m not sure how much this process is going to affect his presidential chances,” McCleskey said.
“I worry that a lot of Republican supporters will just see this as the Department of Justice giving into the Democrats. So I’m just scared a lot of Americans aren’t going to understand how serious this case is.”
According to Politico, Trump was almost 30 points behind Clinton in Miami-Dade County in 2016, which drastically shifted to a less than 10 point margin against Biden in 2020. Trump gained this leverage in support due to his focus on appealing to the Cuban-American and Venezuelan-American communities, highlighting his anti-socialist stance.
Because of the greater support the former president has among voters in Miami-Dade, campaign stops like his recent visit to Versailles may become more frequent throughout the trial.
Ultimately, the polarizing trial has reignited debates on the power the Oval Office should wield and raised questions about what this may mean for future presidents.Though the length and outcome of the proceedings are still to be determined, one thing is very clear– all eyes will be set on Miami as this historical phenomenon unfolds.