Donald Trump’s Presidential Immunity Appeal Meets Judges’ Skepticism

WASHINGTON—The legal reckoning for Donald Trump entered a critical stretch Tuesday as a Washington federal appeals court signaled it would reject the former president’s claim that he is immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election.  

Trump was present in the courtroom mere blocks from the Capitol and is expected to sit in on a hearing Thursday in his civil-fraud case in New York, with the Iowa caucuses less than a week away. Though Trump isn’t required to be there, his presence in court reflected how his legal defense has merged with his presidential ambitions as he seeks to capitalize on a torrent of criminal jeopardy and cast himself as the target of politicized prosecutions.