By the middle of 2021, Donald Trump had survived the second impeachment, lost his voice on major social media platforms, and was slowly rebuilding from Mar-a-Lago. But a new and even more serious threat was emerging — a wave of criminal and civil investigations that would soon turn into formal indictments.

This is the story of how Trump went from former president to criminal defendant, facing multiple legal battles at once.

The legal pressure began to build almost immediately after he left office. Federal prosecutors and state attorneys began looking into several areas: Trump’s business practices in New York, his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, and his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.

The first major case to gain traction came out of New York. In 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 felony counts related to hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. Prosecutors alleged that Trump had falsified business records to disguise the payments as legal expenses. Trump pleaded not guilty, calling the case a “witch hunt” and politically motivated.

Then came the classified documents case. Federal investigators discovered that Trump had taken boxes of sensitive government documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving office. When subpoenaed, some documents were returned, but others were allegedly missing or obstructed. In June 2023, special counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on 37 felony counts, including willful retention of national defense information and obstruction of justice. Trump again pleaded not guilty, arguing he had the right to declassify documents and that this was another attempt to stop him politically.

The third major case landed in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis charged Trump and more than a dozen allies with racketeering and conspiracy charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state. The indictment included a now-famous recorded phone call in which Trump urged Georgia’s Secretary of State to “find” 11,780 votes. Trump called this case election interference against him.

Throughout 2023 and into 2024, Trump found himself in courtrooms rather than at campaign rallies. He attended arraignments, sat through hearings, and faced the possibility of prison time. In many of these cases, he was required to post bond and faced gag orders limiting what he could say publicly.

Trump’s response was consistent and forceful. He called every single case a “witch hunt” orchestrated by Democrats and “radical left” prosecutors to keep him off the ballot and out of the White House. He turned the indictments into campaign fuel, raising millions of dollars from supporters who believed he was being targeted for political reasons. His poll numbers among Republicans actually rose with each new indictment.

The legal battles created an extraordinary situation. For the first time in American history, a former president — and leading candidate for the next election — was facing multiple criminal trials simultaneously. Court dates began to conflict with campaign events. Some cases were delayed, others moved forward.

To Trump and his supporters, this was lawfare — the weaponization of the justice system against a political opponent. They pointed to the timing of the charges, many of which came as Trump prepared to run again in 2024. To his critics, these cases represented accountability. They argued no one, not even a former president, should be above the law.

Produced by Chef Walters SimVal Media. Narrated by Ethan Clarke

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