WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s federal trial on charges that he unlawfully tried to remain in power following his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden will begin March 4, a judge here ruled Monday.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan set proceedings to begin one day before Super Tuesday, when Republican voters in 15 states and territories go to the polls to select their choice to be the party’s 2024 presidential candidate.

“After considering the parties’ briefs and arguments, I find that a trial beginning on March 4, 2024, would give the defense adequate time to prepare for trial and ensure the public’s interest in seeing this case resolved in a timely manner,” she said.

While the trial date was set for two months after the prosecution’s proposed start of Jan. 2, Trump’s presidential campaign argued that the timing still “deprives” Trump of his “right to a fair trial, a seminal bedrock of America.”

“From setting a trial date for the day before ‘Super Tuesday’ to sending a fundraising email the moment of President Trump’s processing in Fulton County, the Biden regime is no longer hiding its nakedly political motivations,” read an unsigned statement from the campaign.

The trial in the nation’s capital is set to start three weeks before Trump is due in Manhattan on charges related to payouts to porn star Stormy Daniels – despite both sides in the federal trial estimating they would each need up to six weeks to present their cases.

It was not immediately clear Monday whether the Manhattan case would be rescheduled, though Chutkan said she had notified the New York judge, Juan Merchan, of her intention before handing down her ruling.

Trump was indicted in federal court Aug. 1 for allegedly making “knowingly false” claims of voter fraud, signing off on a scheme to submit fraudulent slates of electors to Congress, and sending rioters to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a desperate ploy to remain president. 

He faces four counts — conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights – and could be sentenced to up to 55 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

“Deranged Jack Smith & his team of Thugs, who were caught going to the White House just prior to Indicting the 45th President of the United States (an absolute No No!), have been working on this Witch Hunt for almost 3 years, but decided to bring it smack in the middle of Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent’s campaign against him,” Trump raged on Truth Social Monday. “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!”

The former president’s defense team had pushed for a trial start date in April 2026, with attorney John Lauro charging the feds wanted “a show trial, not a fair trial.”

Lauro also argued that he and his team needed to “absorb a gargantuan amount of facts” in discovery before he could provide an effective defense.

Prosecutor Molly Gaston argued in response that more than 60% of 12.8 million pages of discovery came from sources to which the Trump team already had access – including tweets, videos and statements by the former president himself. 

At one point in the hearing, Lauro spent 15 minutes haranguing Chutkan to grant the April 2026 trial date, punctuating his words by slamming his finger on his lectern.

“Let’s take the temperature down a moment here,” Chutkan told Lauro. “I want to know, despite the rhetoric in your response, realistically why you need this time.”

“Respectfully, what I’m saying is not rhetoric; it’s in defense of the Constitution and my client,” Lauro replied. “… I am saying without question that we cannot be ready under the circumstances of this case until we have a reasonable amount of time [to review evidence] consistent with justice.”

In court documents, Trump’s attorneys had cited the 1930s “Scottsboro Boys” case in which the convictions of nine black teenagers of raping two white women were overturned by the Supreme Court on grounds that the defense had not been given enough time to prepare. 

But in court, Chutkan noted that case had been brought to trial just six days after an indictment was handed down – and the March 4 date would give the former president “seven months between indictment and trial.”

“The trial will start three years, one month and 27 days after the events of Jan. 6, 2021,” she said, adding that “the trial involving the Boston Marathon bombing [in 2013] began less than two years after the events.”

Prosecutor Gaston argued for an earlier date because there was an “unprecedentedly high need for a speedy trial for the public,” and said the defense was already well aware of the facts of the case, referencing Lauro’s own previous comments that the DC indictment was a “regurgitation” of a House Select Committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

“He doesn’t want to admit that through electronic document searches and other technological tools, it is possible to be ready much sooner than April of 2026,” she said. “We are not starting fresh at indictment in this case.”

Chutkan agreed with Gaston that “most defendants do not receive this level of assembled, organized and summarized discovery, as well as other concessions made because of the historic nature of the case,” but said the proposed Jan. 2 date still did not “give the defense enough time to get ready for trial.”

“Even with the considerable resources at his disposal, Mr. Trump – who faces trial and several other matters – needs more than five months to prepare,” said Chutkan, a former criminal defense attorney.

However, the judge also found that Trump’s proposed date of April 2026 was “far beyond what is necessary” to work up a defense.

“Events giving rise to this case occurred at the end of 2020 and in the beginning of 2021,” she said. “To propose trying this case over five years later risks the real danger that witnesses may become unavailable or their memories may fade.”

Ultimately, the judge gave the defense team two additional months to get their evidence in order, telling Lauro that Trump would have to “make the date work regardless of his schedule.”

“While Mr. Trump has a right to time to prepare, the public has a right to a prompt and efficient resolution of this matter,” she said.

Lauro said that his team “will certainly abide by the court’s ruling, as we must,” but objected once more to the March 4 date to get his statement on the record for a possible appeal in the future.

“The trial date will deny President Trump the opportunity to have effective assistance of counsel,” he said. “In light of the enormity of this case, I feel I need to put that on the record.”