Donald Trump’s fall 2024 general election campaign kicked off Thursday afternoon with a not-guilty plea. Facing a magistrate judge, the 45th president contested the conspiracy charges leveled against him by the government. He was released without posting bail. Minutes after the arraignment, Trump referred to his travails as “persecution” and called it a “sad day” for the United States.
None of Trump’s Republican rivals can compete with the free publicity and notoriety he will garner in the months ahead.