2023: THE YEAR IN POLITICS
Time|December 25, 2023
The GOP front runner kept his eyes on the Oval Office, even as the court cases mounted| The White House struggled with public opinion even in its moments of success 
Brian Bennett & Philip Elliott
2023: THE YEAR IN POLITICS

Donald Trump

The GOP front runner kept his eyes on the Oval Office, even as the court cases mounted

SOME FORMER PRESIDENTS RETREAT to privacy after the pressures of the job. (Exhibit A: George Washington.) Others find a way to stay in the spotlight. (Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter.)

Then there's Donald Trump, who remained the front runner for the Republican presidential nomination throughout 2023 as his pileup of legal woes led pundits and reporters to wear out the word unprecedented. Before Trump's 91 charges over four indictments, no former U.S. President had ever been indicted even once. The first indictment came in March from New York, tied to his trying to cover up an affair with an adult-film actress. Then came federal charges in June over classified documents, and charges in August in federal court and in Georgia over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

The cases will shape 2024 campaigns and test the justice and political system unlike anything the country has ever seen. In the meantime, they are playing into Trump's framing of himself as a perpetual victim of political retaliation.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TIMEView all
TV SHOWS
Time

TV SHOWS

An artistic triumph. A record-breaking 18 Emmy wins. An all-time viewership high for FX.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 30, 2024
MOVIES
Time

MOVIES

If you read only the synopsis of Babygirl before seeing it, you might imagine it's an erotic age-gap thriller about the workplace power dynamic between men and women.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 30, 2024
BOOKS
Time

BOOKS

Percival Everett's reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which won a National Book Award, is a sweeping story centering on Jim, the enslaved sidekick in Mark Twain's classic adventure tale.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 30, 2024
ALBUMS
Time

ALBUMS

Singer Beth Gibbons hasn't released much music in the 30 years since her iconic band Portishead stormed out of the gate with seminal trip-hop record Dummy. Nor has she spoken to the press much, gaining a reputation for intense privacy.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 30, 2024
PODCASTS
Time

PODCASTS

The most engrossing podcast Dan Taberski has produced since Missing Richard Simmons, Hysterical investigates a mysterious illness that spread among high school girls in Le Roy, N.Y., beginning in 2011, in what is believed to be the largest case of mass hysteria since the Salem witch trials.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 30, 2024
Elton JOHN
Time

Elton JOHN

Elton John has no address. Visitors to his home are given three names: the name of a house, the name of a hill, and the name of a town, which is near Windsor, as in Windsor Castle, where King Charles III lives.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 30, 2024
Caitlin CLARK
Time

Caitlin CLARK

A Fever coach has tasked me with standing under the basket to retrieve her misses. But as Clark, the two-time college national player of the year for the University of Iowa, reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year from the Indiana Fever, and emergent American sports icon, runs all over the court to launch long-range bombs, I barely have to move. Swish, swish, swish. She hits 14 shots in a row. A dozen in a row. Eleven in a row. Nine in a row. Another nine.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 30, 2024
Lisa SU
Time

Lisa SU

It's the day after the U.S. presidential election, and like much of the nation she was awake until the early hours, transfixed as the results came in, only tearing herself away once it became clear that Donald Trump had won.

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 30, 2024
Donald TRUMP-THE CHOICE
Time

Donald TRUMP-THE CHOICE

A once and future President whose influence dominated this year

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 30, 2024
Mental Health Levels Up
Time

Mental Health Levels Up

2024's progress hints at things to come

time-read
4 mins  |
December 30, 2024