The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump’s lawyers filed a motion on July 10, 2023, asking the judge in the classified-documents case to delay the trial until after the 2024 election. The filing came after prosecutors asked to begin jury selection on Dec. 11, 2023. Trump’s team argued that the defense would face an unfair squeeze if forced to prepare for trial on that schedule, pointing to the volume of classified material, the sensitivity of the evidence and Trump’s status as a former president and current presidential candidate.

The request did not ask the court to set a new trial date. Instead, it sought a postponement past the campaign. At that point, the judge had not ruled on the motion, so the case remained on a scheduling track rather than a revised trial calendar.

The underlying case alleges that Trump kept national defense information after leaving office and later tried to obstruct efforts to recover it. The delay fight turned on case management, not guilt or innocence: whether a fast-moving criminal case involving classified evidence could be fairly tried before voters go to the polls.