>>> WHAT'S NEXT AFTER A WHIRLWIND DAY FOR FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, WHO WAS INDICTED ON 37 COUNTS, INCLUDING VIOLATING THE ESPIONAGE ACT?

OUR SPOTLIGHT POLITICS TEAM ON HIS POST-ARRAIGNMENT FUNDRAISER , AND MUCH MORE.

JOINING US NOW, OUR HEATHER CHERONE, AMANDA VINICKY, AND PARIS SCHUTZ.

WELCOME BACK, TEAM.

TRUMP WAS DEFIANT AFTER HIS HISTORIC ARRAIGNMENT.

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT HE SAID AT HIS FUNDRAISER LAST NIGHT.

>> TODAY WE WIN THIS , THE MOST EVIL AND HEINOUS ABUSE OF POWER IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.

A SAD THING TO WATCH.

A CORRUPT SITTING PRESIDENT HAD HIS TOP POLITICAL OPPONENT ARRESTED ON FAKE AND FABRICATED CHARGES, OF WHICH HE AND NUMEROUS OTHER PRESIDENTS WOULD BE GUILTY .

RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION .

>> OKAY, SO MUCH TO SAY HERE.

PARIS, DEMOCRATS AND PRESIDENT BIDEN, THOUGH, ARE NOT COMMENTING.

IS THAT A SMART POLITICAL STRATEGY?

>> I THINK WE HAD TO STIPULATE THAT ALMOST NOTHING THAT WE HEARD IN THAT STATEMENT BEARS MUCH OF A RESEMBLANCE TO REALITY, BUT YES, THE CURRENT PRESIDENT MUST STAY OUT OF IT, MUST NOT UNDER ANY WORD.

THE APPEARANCE HAD TO BE THAT IT'S TOTALLY INDEPENDENT.

AND PARTIALLY BECAUSE THE COORDINATED REPUBLICAN MESSAGING STRATEGY, WITH A FEW NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS, HAS BEEN TO, LIKE DONALD TRUMP, CALL IT A WITCH HUNT, SAY IT'S A BIDEN AND DEMOCRAT DOJ THAT'S JUST TRYING TO PUT THEIR BIGGEST OPPONENT AWAY IN JAIL , WHEN IT'S EASY TO JUST -- NOT FALL APART RIGHT AWAY.

IT WAS A GRAND JURY OF CITIZENS IN MIAMI.

THEY RETURNED THE VERDICT.

A SPECIAL COUNSEL HAS BEEN GIVEN FREE REIGN TO INVESTIGATE AND BRING CHARGES BY THE U.S. ATTORNEY, MERRICK GARLAND.

AND WE SHOULD MENTION, THE FBI, THAT'S CONDUCTED BY THE INVESTIGATION, CHRISTOPHER WRAY.

SO LIKE WITH SOME OF THE QUOTE UNQUOTE STOLEN ELECTION CASES, THERE WAS REALLY NEVER ANY LEGAL STRATEGY.

IT WAS A PR STRATEGY.

THAT'S THE STRATEGY HERE.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE INDICTMENT, WE'VE ALL SEEN LOTS OF POLITICAL INDICTMENTS .

I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER SEEN ANYONE WHERE THE EVIDENCE IS AS CUT AND DRY AS THIS.

USUALLY, THIS KIND OF INDICTMENT ARE VERY COLLOCATED.

THEY'RE COMPLEX.

YOU HAD TO TAKE A JURY THROUGH SOME REALLY COMPLEX THINGS.

THIS ONE, NOT SO MUCH BETWEEN ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU ALSO DON'T SEE A LOT IS, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT HE RAISED MORE THAN $2 MILLION RIGHT AFTER HIS ARRAIGNMENT.

HE HEADED TO NEW JERSEY FOR A FUNDRAISER.

AMANDA?

>> YEAH.

HEADED TO A FUNDRAISER.

I'VE GOT TO SAY, POLITICIANS, RIGHT?

RIGHT AWAY, HE'S BEEN TRYING TO GET MONEY OFF OF THIS.

AND SUCCEEDING.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WORKS WITH HIS CROWD, PLAYING THE VICTIM.

IT DEFINITELY, I THINK, PART OF ALSO HIS STRATEGY, AS PARIS NOTED, IT'S NOT JUST IN THE COURTROOM, IT IS OUTSIDE THE COURTROOM.

IT IS TRYING TO WIN OVER PUBLIC SENTIMENT, MAKE SURE HIS BASES ON HIS SIDE, KEEPING AS MANY AS POSSIBLE OF THE OTHER GOP CONTENDERS, BY THE WAY, FROM SPEAKING OUT AGAINST THEM, WHICH THUS FAR, MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN.

CAREFUL NOT TO DO.

NOT BY MUCH.

>> SOME OF THE OPPONENTS -- >> SOME HAVE, YEAH.

>> THIS IS A SERIOUS -- BUT NIKKI HALEY HAS STARTED TO MAKE SOME COMMENT, BUT AGAIN, THEY'RE REALLY SORT OF BEING CAREFUL, HE REMAINS THE FRONT-RUNNER.

ALSO, WANT TO QUICKLY ADD, IT'S EASY FOR HIM TO DO THIS AT THIS POINT, IS, BECAUSE CAMERAS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE COURTROOM.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE JOURNALISTS THINK IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT FOR US.

THERE IS NO AUDIO, THERE'S NO VIDEO OF HIS BEHAVIOR, AND AT THIS POINT, THERE WON'T BE , AT LEAST FOR A JUDGES RULING.

>> WHATEVER THEY SAY IN COURT, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY RESEMBLANCE TO WHAT TRUMP IS SAYING PUBLICLY.

>> AND THERE ARE SOME REPORTERS IN THE COURTROOM.

VERY LIMITED.

BUT WE'RE GETTING THAT INFORMATION FROM THEM.

HEATHER, MOST REPUBLICANS ARE SAYING THE CHARGES ARE ALL POLITICAL.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP COULD GET OUT OF THIS, DEPENDING ON THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION?

THIS IS GOING TO TAKE A LOT LONGER THAN THE ELECTION WILL PUT >> SURE.

IT IS VERY UNLIKELY THAT HE WILL STAND TRIAL BEFORE THE MEMBER 2024 ELECTION, WHICH MEANS THAT THE OUTCOME OF THAT ELECTION WILL ESSENTIALLY DETERMINE WHETHER HE STANDS TRIAL AT ALL, BECAUSE AS PRESIDENT, HE WOULD HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND SAY, HEY, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT ANYMORE, AND JUST WIPE THE SLATE CLEAN.

WHICH I THINK GIVES YOU A SENSE OF JUST HOW MUCH WILL BE AT STAKE FOR THE RULE OF LAW AND FOR DEMOCRACY IN THIS UPCOMING ELECTION.

BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHILE IT MIGHT HELP HIM RAISE MONEY AND SORT OF, YOU KNOW, BOOST HIM IN THE POLLS IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY, THERE'S NO EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS A WINNING STRATEGY WITH INDEPENDENTS OR MODERATES OR DEMOCRATS , AND AS WE ALL KNOW, HE LOST THE 2020 ELECTION, AND THAT WAS BEFORE HE WAS ACCUSED OF FOMENTING AN INSURRECTION AND STEALING CLASSIFIED NUCLEAR SECRETS AND, OH YES, BEING CHARGED FOR PAYING OFF A, ADULT FILM STAR.

SO NO SMALL AMOUNT OF NEWS.

>> ALL OF THIS REFERRING TO THE FORMER PRESIDENT.

AMANDA, BRIEFLY BEFORE WE MOVE ON, FORMER GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE DAN BAILEY HAS BEEN THE FUND ROLE .

WHAT YOU MAKE OF THAT?

>> IT'S INTERESTING, BECAUSE I ALSO SAW BAILEY WHEN RON DESANTIS WAS IN THE CHICAGO SUBURBS.

BAILEY MADE THAT TRIP.

BUT HE SAID EVEN THEN, NO, I'M STANDING BEHIND TRUMP.

TRUMP, OF COURSE, ENDORSED BAILEY IN THE GOP PRIMARY AND IN THE GOVERNOR'S RACE.

WHAT I MAKE OF THAT, NOT QUITE SURE WHY HE WAS THERE AND DOWN IN FLORIDA, BUT WE DO KNOW THAT BAILEY IS TRYING TO UP HIS CREDENTIALS, IS BONA FIDE -- THERE WE GO.

TRYING TO UP HIS BONA FIDES WITH THE CONSERVATIVE BASE THAT HE ALREADY HAS PRETTY MUCH A RING ON AS HE LOOKS TO RUN AGAINST AN INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN IN CONGRESS, MIKE BOSSE.

HE'S TRYING TO OUT CONSERVATIVE BOSS, AND IT APPEARS, RUN FOR CONGRESS.

>> RIGHT.

SEE WHAT I DID THERE?

LET'S QUICKLY TALK ABOUT THE POLITICAL ASPECT OF THE UPCOMING NASCAR RACE.

HEATHER, ENORMOUS PUBLIC EVENT LIKE THIS, ARE THESE NIGHTMARES FOR POLITICIANS BECAUSE OF ALL THE HEADACHES THAT WE KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO CAUSE THE >> SO IT IS HIGH RISK AND HIGH REWARD, BECAUSE IT ALL GOES AS PLANNED, AS WE WERE ASSURED TODAY THAT IT WILL, CHICAGO WILL GET TWO DAYS IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT, AND THERE WILL BE GREAT SHOTS OF GRANT PARK AND THE SKYLINE , AND EVERYBODY WILL BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT A WONDERFUL PLACE CHICAGO IS, ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER.

HOWEVER, IF THERE ARE PROBLEMS, IF THERE ARE INCIDENTS, IF THE TRACK DOES NOT WORK AS THEY EXPECT, THAT -- YEAH.

THAT IS A REALLY HIGH RISK.

NOT JUST FOR THE CITY, BUT ALSO FOR NASCAR, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IS REALLY SORT OF ON TRIAL, BECAUSE THEY WANT TO HOST THIS RACE FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS, BUT IF THIS ONE DOESN'T GO WELL, I IMAGINE THAT BRANDON JOHNSON, THE MAYOR, WILL THINK VERY CLOSELY ABOUT FIGHTING THEM BACK FOR THE NEXT TWO.

>> I FEEL LIKE, AND NOT, I DON'T NEED TO, LIKE -- I WENT ON THE TRACK, AND IT WAS A LOT OF FUN, AND I MET FOR NASCAR PEOPLE, AND I WAS VERY SKEPTICAL AT FIRST, AND I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE CITY DOES NEED BIG EVENTS, BECAUSE TOURISM IS A HUGE PART OF THE ECONOMY.

WE NEED EVENTS TO DRAW TOURISM.

WE'RE NOT NEW YORK, WE'RE NOT L.A. WE'RE NOT JUST GOING TO GET ALL THE PEOPLE HERE WITHOUT SOMETHING TO COME SEE LIKE LOLLAPALOOZA.

SO THERE HAS TO BE ENCUMBRANCE OF DISCUSSION AMONG CITY COUNSEL ON HOW TO BRING THE VENT HERE, HOW TO STAGE THEM, AND BALANCE THE INTEREST OF THE RESIDENTS, AS THESE THINGS KEEP HAPPENING HAPHAZARDLY, LIKE WE MENTIONED EARLIER.

THIS POPPED UP OUT OF NOWHERE.

SO THERE HAS TO BE SOME KIND OF COMP PLAN.

>> NOT THAT WE'LL SEE HOW ALL OF THIS GOES DOWN AND WHETHER OR NOT FORMER MAYOR LIGHTFOOT