by Frances Martel
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, declared on Tuesday the arraignment of former American President Donald Trump meant the United States’ ability to pressure other countries to improve their own democracies was “gone.”
Bukele, who maintained friendly relations with Trump during the latter’s presidency that have cratered under leftist successor Joe Biden, has consistently condemned American law enforcement actions against Trump, branding them attempts to persecute and erase Biden’s top political rival in anticipation of the 2024 presidential election.
Trump was arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday on charges of falsifying business records. The 34 counts he faces, all related to alleged payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, could result in a maximum sentence for Trump of 136 years in prison, though the likelier scenario, if he is found guilty, would be closer to four years.
Speaking on Tuesday night following his arrest and arraignment, Trump denied the charges and accused the prosecutor making the indictment, Alvin Bragg, of “massive election interference at a scale never before seen in our country.”