Donald Trump faces a long prison sentence for violating the anti-espionage law. The public prosecutor lists more than three dozen charges. And yet it seems as if the ex-US President really wanted this indictment, this stage.

As the Washington Post reports, Trump’s attorney Christopher Kise offered to negotiate a deal with the US Department of Justice in the fall of 2022. Kise, who received a $53 million advance to help represent Trump, suggested “turning the temperature down a bit.” He wanted to offer the US Attorney General and the Department a way out, an out-of-court settlement that would prevent a lengthy trial against a former US President. The deal would have included Trump’s full cooperation and the return of all documents.

Trump preferred to listen to militant lawyers

But Trump turned down the potential deal. As the Washington Post goes on to write, he preferred to listen to those lawyers who recommended a more combative approach. The newspaper learned this from three sources familiar with the case. Now Trump is fighting – but he will also have to answer in court because he stored tons of boxes full of secret documents in his Mar-a-Lago domicile in Florida.

But it is also clear that the martyrdom that Trump is currently showing is financially worthwhile. The 77-year-old has collected almost seven million dollars in donations since last Friday alone, when the indictment became public. In addition, the Republican presidential candidate gets prime-time coverage – true to the motto “bad publicity is also publicity”.

Trump wants to be president again, and an impeachment – which will drag on for some time – could even help him continue to paint the image of the bad state and the good Trump among his supporters. He, America’s only savior, whom the establishment is impeaching in order to eliminate. Trump could paint this picture – and ultimately benefit from it. Of course, there is no guarantee that this will save him from prison.