With classified documents, sealed by the hands of a New York grand jury, the United States has been thrust into uncharted waters: the indictment of a former president. 

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a New York grand jury, marking the first time in American history a former president faces such charges. Through the turmoil, conflicting sources, and mass sensationalization of the indictment, navigation through the facts of the situation have been clouded.

Indictment is the formal charging of a person believed to have committed a felony. Trump is facing more than 30 counts of felonies on the basis of business fraud, heavily focused on the legalities of Trump’s alleged hush money payment scheme concerning his supposed affair with Stormy Daniels.

While details of the case cannot be publicly disclosed at this time, due to the nature of indictments, Trump’s indictment achieves what Democratic lawmakers have been attempting to achieve since his election in 2020: bound him legally.

Seemingly, Trump has been donned in a cloak of invincibility, despite being the only president to have met with two impeachments. Being wound in legal charges, yet still being able to pursue a campaign for the 2024 presidential election, has drawn international attention from both his former allies and foes, as each step in the case could bring down far more than a businessman-turned-president. 

Trump is reportedly to turn himself in on Tuesday, where, like every other American indicted, will be booked, fingerprinted, and photographed. 

As the case progresses, the international sensationalization will be an omnipresent force on the discussion of the democratic process, or lack thereof, due to New York’s mostly democratic voters. The case brings up a concern on the preservation of American democracy, on either side of the political spectrum, and the sanctity of a republic, as eagle-eyed Americans can only watch.