Considering the momentousness of the occasion, watching Donald Trump heading to court along Washington’s expressways this month felt oddly familiar. That the arraignment of a former president could appear in any way “routine” is startling — but given this was his third trip to a courthouse to face charges, perhaps understandable. Trump is no longer a new phenomenon. Americans know exactly who they are dealing with; his lies are well documented, his personal flaws exposed. And yet, even in the face of severe legal jeopardy, support among his base is — incredibly to many — solidifying. He is the undisputed front runner for the Republican candidacy and virtually tied with President Joe Biden in recent polls. What is more, Trump’s “big lie” has taken hold. A CNN poll released on Aug. 3 revealed that 69 percent of Republicans do not believe Joe Biden legitimately won the presidency. Across party lines, 58 percent have little or no confidence in US elections and 50 percent say the prospect of an election being overturned for partisan reasons is either “likely” or “somewhat likely.” While Trump is raising money off the back of his legal predicaments, he is also spending it fast — much of it on his own lawyers. His political action committee has spent $40 million on legal fees already this year. Former Attorney General Bill Barr said he finds this nauseating. “He goes out and raises money from hard-working people, small donors, and a lot of this money seems to be going to his legal fees,” he told my colleague Kaitlan Collins. Those funds may need to stretch still further, with an astonishing fourth indictment expected in the state of Georgia any day now. Fulton County in Atlanta, where local District Attorney Fani Willis is imminently set to present her case against the former president to a grand jury, could yet stage the most dramatic twist yet in this already lengthy saga. Willis may be eying a sweeping racketeering case that could cast Trump and several of his associates as operating as a criminal enterprise in a bid to overturn Georgia’s election results. Latest reports suggest that more than a dozen indictments could be sought in the Peach State. The hope among Trump’s opponents is that his courtroom dramas will curtail his reelection bid, but this may be misplaced. Michael Holmes Unsurprisingly, ahead of what may be his most serious legal challenge yet, Trump has been on the offensive. At a campaign rally in New Hampshire, he repeated his claim that the 2020 election was “rigged” and portrayed the charges against him as “election interference.” He even called Willis, who is Black, “racist.” In fact, the district attorney has herself faced racist threats since she initiated the investigation. “It was a stolen, disgusting election,” Trump told supporters during an hour-long speech. “And this country should be ashamed. And they go after the people that want to prove that it was rigged and stolen.” The hope among Trump’s opponents is that his courtroom dramas will curtail his reelection bid, but this may be misplaced. The Founding Fathers covered a lot of bases in drawing up their nation’s constitution, but they did not anticipate Trump. UCLA law professor Richard L. Hasen, a leading expert on election law, believes Trump still has a path back to the White House in 2024. “The constitution has very few requirements to serve as president,” he told CNN in an email. “It does not bar anyone indicted, or convicted, or even serving jail time, from running as president and winning the presidency.” There is some hope for American democracy though: CNN’s poll showed that 61 percent of Americans believe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square — but the partisan divide is widening. Outside the Washington courthouse awaiting the former president’s arrival early this month stood a couple holding a banner emblazoned with “Trump or Death,” alongside two dates — 1776 and 2024. America may not yet be heading for another revolution, but trenches are being dug in an increasingly bitter battle for its soul. Michael Holmes is an anchor and correspondent for CNN.