Former President Donald Trump was arrested and arraigned for the third time in four months on Thursday afternoon, pleading not guilty to four federal conspiracy and obstruction charges in a Washington, D.C., federal courtroom. The charges are serious, alleging that Trump led a conspiracy of lies to try and stay in power after losing the 2020 election, and if convicted, the 77-year-old former president could spend the rest of his life in prison.
But what really bothered Trump during the roughly 30-minute arraignment, CNN's Kaitlin Collins reported Thursday night, is how he was addressed in court.
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Irritated or not, Trump isn't entitled to the honorific, The Atlantic's Tom Nichols explained. "Some titles — governor, ambassador, certain military ranks and yes, 'professor' — are lifetime titles. 'President' is not; a president is the 'presiding officer' while he presides, which is why Senate Presidents are 'Mr/Madam President' only while they hold the gavel." More to the point, Professor Nichols added, "America has only one president at a time," and it is no longer Trump.
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