Federal judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the prosecution of United States former president Donald J Trump in the 2020 election subversion conspiracy case, on Monday (August 28) set the date to start trial on March 4, 2024, rejecting the proposal of the accused to postpone it till 2026. 
 
The announcement of the date has placed the trial of one of the country's biggest criminal cases&nbsp;in the history of America in its peak election season. 
 
The trial date, which has been set two years ahead of the date which was requested by the defence, will fall on the eve of "Super Tuesday," when nearly a dozen states will cast votes between Trump and one of his rivals in the 2024 Republican presidential election. 
 
"Setting a trial date does not depend on the defendant's professional obligations so Mr Trump will have to make a date work," US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan informed the hearing in Washington.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-trump-co-defendants-to-face-arraignment-in-georgia-on-september-6-630007">US: Trump, co-defendants to face arraignment in Georgia on September 6</a>

The trial date is likely to leave a pivotal impact on the hopes of Trump to recapture the White House. Taking to his social network Truth Social, Trump demanded the dismissal of the case and called&nbsp;lead prosecutor Jack Smith "deranged" and&nbsp;complained of "election interference."&nbsp;

"Today a biased, Trump Hating Judge gave me only a two month extension, just what our corrupt government wanted, SUPER TUESDAY. I will APPEAL!" he stated.

The 77-year-old former president has been facing four criminal indictments this year – one each by state prosecutors in Georgia and New York and twice by Smith. In an early August court appearance, Trump had pleaded not guilty to the charges, after which he was not needed to attend the procedural hearing on Monday. 
 
Smith had appealed to start the trial on January 2, however, Trump's lawyer John Lauro described that proposition as "a request for a show trial, not a speedy trial," calling the idea of having just four months to prepare "absurd and ridiculous." 
 
"We will certainly abide by Your Honor's ruling, as we must," he said to Chutkan, after the judge announced her decision. "The trial date will deny President Trump the opportunity to have effective assistance of counsel,” he added.

WATCH |&nbsp;Trump raises $7.1 MN since Georgia arrest

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<h2>Trump's multiple trials</h2>

Trump will go on trial on charges of paying election-eve hush money to a porn star in New York in March and the trial for allegedly mishandling top secret government documents will take place in Florida in May. 
 
Trump, along with 18 co-defendants, are also facing racketeering charges in Georgia for trying to overturn the results 2020 election in the southern state. 
 
No firm date to begin the trial of the Georgia case has been decided by the presiding judge.

(With inputs from agencies)

You can&nbsp;now write for wionews.com&nbsp;and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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Federal judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the prosecution of United States former president Donald J Trump in the 2020 election subversion conspiracy case, on Monday (August 28) set the date to start trial on March 4, 2024, rejecting the proposal of the accused to postpone it till 2026.

Federal judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the prosecution of United States former president Donald J Trump in the 2020 election subversion conspiracy case, on Monday (August 28) set the date to start trial on March 4, 2024, rejecting the proposal of the accused to postpone it till 2026. The announcement of the date has placed the trial of one of the country's biggest criminal cases in the history of America in its peak election season. The trial date, which has been set two years ahead of the date which was requested by the defence, will fall on the eve of "Super Tuesday," when nearly a dozen states will cast votes between Trump and one of his rivals in the 2024 Republican presidential election. "Setting a trial date does not depend on the defendant's professional obligations so Mr Trump will have to make a date work," US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan informed the hearing in Washington. ALSO READ | US: Trump, co-defendants to face arraignment in Georgia on September 6 The trial date is likely to leave a pivotal impact on the hopes of Trump to recapture the White House. Taking to his social network Truth Social, Trump demanded the dismissal of the case and called lead prosecutor Jack Smith "deranged" and complained of "election interference." "Today a biased, Trump Hating Judge gave me only a two month extension, just what our corrupt government wanted, SUPER TUESDAY. I will APPEAL!" he stated. The 77-year-old former president has been facing four criminal indictments this year – one each by state prosecutors in Georgia and New York and twice by Smith. In an early August court appearance, Trump had pleaded not guilty to the charges, after which he was not needed to attend the procedural hearing on Monday. Smith had appealed to start the trial on January 2, however, Trump's lawyer John Lauro described that proposition as "a request for a show trial, not a speedy trial," calling the idea of having just four months to prepare "absurd and ridiculous." "We will certainly abide by Your Honor's ruling, as we must," he said to Chutkan, after the judge announced her decision. "The trial date will deny President Trump the opportunity to have effective assistance of counsel,” he added. WATCH | Trump raises $7.1 MN since Georgia arrest Trump's multiple trials Trump will go on trial on charges of paying election-eve hush money to a porn star in New York in March and the trial for allegedly mishandling top secret government documents will take place in Florida in May. Trump, along with 18 co-defendants, are also facing racketeering charges in Georgia for trying to overturn the results 2020 election in the southern state. No firm date to begin the trial of the Georgia case has been decided by the presiding judge. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Trump's historic trial in federal election case to begin on March 4, one day before Super Tuesday

Despite a fraud conviction and sex scandal, Italy&#39;s 81-year-old former leader Silvio Berlusconi has one last political victory in his sights in general elections less than two weeks away.

Temporarily banned from returning to public office himself, the billionaire media mogul still hopes to influence the country&#39;s political direction by leading a right-wing coalition in the March 4 polls.

&quot;I&#39;m pretty confident of the result of the election and going to form a government with our centre-right allies,&quot; he told a rally of youth activists from his Forza Italia party in Rome on Wednesday, in a typically outspoken address.

&quot;I can tell you how to stay young,&quot; he added. &quot;I&#39;ll tell you the brand of my suppositories.&quot;

Berlusconi &quot;wants to win one last time before retiring,&quot; his biographer Alan Friedman was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

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<h5>I can tell you how to stay young,&#39; Berlusconi added. &#39;I&#39;ll tell you the brand of my suppositories&#39;</h5>
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The three-time former prime minister heads a coalition made up of Forza Italia and two far-right forces: the League and Brothers of Italy.

Recent opinion polls indicate the coalition has about 38 percent support overall -- the highest score out of Italy&#39;s three major electoral groupings.

But it falls short of a majority and surveys suggest millions of voters remain undecided.

Tax, sex scandals 
Berlusconi is banned from public office due to a 2013 tax fraud conviction.

He also faces charges that he bribed witnesses to lie at his earlier trial for paying for sex with a minor.

In spite of it all, he remains the leading figure of the Italian right almost a quarter of a century after first taking power.

His own party has surged by eight points to 18 percent support in the opinion polls in the past year.

Forza Italia&#39;s edge in the polls would give Berlusconi the upper hand in naming the coalition&#39;s pick for prime minister.

He and his coalition partners would field wildly different candidates, as they have little in common apart from a desire to win.

Berlusconi and the League&#39;s leader Matteo Salvini &quot;can&#39;t stand each other,&quot; says Roberto D&#39;Alimonte, director of the political science department at Luiss University in Rome.&nbsp;

First the coalition would need to win a working majority.

This year&#39;s election is the first under a complex electoral law introduced last year.

A mix of proportional representation and first-past-the-post, it enables a party or coalition to obtain a majority with around 40 to 45 percent of the vote -- which may be just out of the right-wing coalition&#39;s reach.

Economic promises 
The coalition spans the range of Italian right-wing politics, from the pro-European conservative moderates within Forza Italia to former northern secessionists the League and Brothers of Italy, which has roots in post-war neo-fascism.

Together they form a broad church that is ahead of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the centre-left coalition led by the ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD), who are respectively polling at around 28 and 27 percent.

In the tight three-way fight, candidates have made economic promises that have observers scratching their heads given Italy&#39;s huge public debt, which at 132 percent of GDP is one of the highest in Europe.

The leading parties are promising everything from the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to higher pensions and lower taxes.

One of the M5S&#39;s flagship proposals is a monthly universal basic income of 780 euros for those living in poverty.

La Stampa newspaper calculated that Italy would need to spend &quot;the stratospheric sum&quot; of over one trillion euros to make them all a reality.

None of these big promises will be fulfilled if no group wins a majority under the new system.

In that case, the PD under current Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni could remain in power, at least for the next few months.

Pro-European forces within the PD and Forza Italia could create a German-style grand coalition. Or euro-sceptics from the League and the Five Star Movement could team up.

Temporarily banned from returning to public office himself, the billionaire media mogul still hopes to influence the country's political direction by leading a right-wing coalition in the March 4 polls

Despite a fraud conviction and sex scandal, Italy's 81-year-old former leader Silvio Berlusconi has one last political victory in his sights in general elections less than two weeks away. Temporarily banned from returning to public office himself, the billionaire media mogul still hopes to influence the country's political direction by leading a right-wing coalition in the March 4 polls. "I'm pretty confident of the result of the election and going to form a government with our centre-right allies," he told a rally of youth activists from his Forza Italia party in Rome on Wednesday, in a typically outspoken address. "I can tell you how to stay young," he added. "I'll tell you the brand of my suppositories." Berlusconi "wants to win one last time before retiring," his biographer Alan Friedman was quoted as saying by the Corriere della Sera newspaper. I can tell you how to stay young,' Berlusconi added. 'I'll tell you the brand of my suppositories' × The three-time former prime minister heads a coalition made up of Forza Italia and two far-right forces: the League and Brothers of Italy. Recent opinion polls indicate the coalition has about 38 percent support overall -- the highest score out of Italy's three major electoral groupings. But it falls short of a majority and surveys suggest millions of voters remain undecided. Tax, sex scandals Berlusconi is banned from public office due to a 2013 tax fraud conviction. He also faces charges that he bribed witnesses to lie at his earlier trial for paying for sex with a minor. In spite of it all, he remains the leading figure of the Italian right almost a quarter of a century after first taking power. His own party has surged by eight points to 18 percent support in the opinion polls in the past year. Forza Italia's edge in the polls would give Berlusconi the upper hand in naming the coalition's pick for prime minister. He and his coalition partners would field wildly different candidates, as they have little in common apart from a desire to win. Berlusconi and the League's leader Matteo Salvini "can't stand each other," says Roberto D'Alimonte, director of the political science department at Luiss University in Rome. First the coalition would need to win a working majority. This year's election is the first under a complex electoral law introduced last year. A mix of proportional representation and first-past-the-post, it enables a party or coalition to obtain a majority with around 40 to 45 percent of the vote -- which may be just out of the right-wing coalition's reach. Economic promises The coalition spans the range of Italian right-wing politics, from the pro-European conservative moderates within Forza Italia to former northern secessionists the League and Brothers of Italy, which has roots in post-war neo-fascism. Together they form a broad church that is ahead of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and the centre-left coalition led by the ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD), who are respectively polling at around 28 and 27 percent. In the tight three-way fight, candidates have made economic promises that have observers scratching their heads given Italy's huge public debt, which at 132 percent of GDP is one of the highest in Europe. The leading parties are promising everything from the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to higher pensions and lower taxes. One of the M5S's flagship proposals is a monthly universal basic income of 780 euros for those living in poverty. La Stampa newspaper calculated that Italy would need to spend "the stratospheric sum" of over one trillion euros to make them all a reality. None of these big promises will be fulfilled if no group wins a majority under the new system. In that case, the PD under current Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni could remain in power, at least for the next few months. Pro-European forces within the PD and Forza Italia could create a German-style grand coalition. Or euro-sceptics from the League and the Five Star Movement could team up.

Despite fraud conviction, sex scandal, Berlusconi seeks one last win in Italy vote

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Trump's historic trial in federal election case to begin on March 4, one day before Super Tuesday

Despite fraud conviction, sex scandal, Berlusconi seeks one last win in Italy vote