NEW YORK— Tuesday's surrender of former U.S. President Donald Trump on criminal charges was marked by confrontations between supporters and detractors outside a courthouse in Manhattan's downtown, as well as a cycle of slurs and outrage from lawmakers and Trump himself that has become predictable.

But many Americans who claim to be keeping an eye on the progress of this case and other Trump investigations are not doing so to score political points; rather, they are holding out hope that the American democracy will uphold the rule of law.

Carla Sambula, who claimed to have traveled an hour from her home in Rockland County, New York, to stand in line outside a Manhattan courthouse so she could see Trump's arraignment firsthand, said: "It's what the system is for," Sambula, a black woman, said, "It's hard to say if they'll get it right, especially as a woman of color," adding that she has not voted since she did so for President Barack Obama.

According to Gallup polling, Americans' trust in institutions like Congress, television news, and the presidency decreased last year to its lowest average level in more than 40 years. Only 14% of people, or half as many as a decade ago, say they have "quite a lot" or "a great deal" of confidence in the criminal justice system.

As the nation prepares for a 2024 presidential election in which Trump is the leading Republican candidate, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case is the first of many involving Trump. On Tuesday, Trump entered a not-guilty plea.

The former White House ethics attorney and University of Minnesota law professor Richard Painter said, "There's a lot of cynicism on the far right and the far left," The prevailing belief on both sides is that "the law is not about law, it is just about politics and power."

Since the New York case came to light, Trump's rhetoric has become more heated. He has long complained that law enforcement is picking on him for political reasons.

Trump urged his fellow Republicans in Congress to reduce funding for the FBI and the Justice Department on Wednesday. Several Republican lawmakers are concerned that this case will demonstrate whether the government can be used as a weapon against politicians who are not popular.

According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 36% of Democrats believe that the investigations into Republican candidate Trump are carried out for political reasons. In the meantime, 50% of Americans, including 30% of Republicans, think that Trump and some other Republicans are attempting to undermine the authority of the law in order to avert charges against Trump.

70% of Americans oppose the idea that U.S. presidents should be immune from all but the most serious criminal charges because they want accountability. In the coming months, as multiple-track investigations continue, the American judicial system will come under intense scrutiny. An indictment this spring may result from an investigation into Trump's attempt to reverse his Georgia 2020 election loss, while the Manhattan case involving hush money paid to a porn star could last for a year or longer. This month may see the start of a civil trial related to Fox News' alleged defamation regarding the 2020 election by voting machine manufacturer Dominion.

Amir Ali, executive director of the MacArthur Justice Center, and Vince Warren, executive director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, spoke about the significance of holding elected officials accountable. Warren argued that the flurry of legal actions brought against Trump may herald a time when the actions of the president are subject to legal scrutiny. Ali also emphasized the disproportionate incarceration of minorities and those with lower incomes in the United States, which has allowed those in positions of authority to get away with it. One of the five black teenagers wrongfully convicted of rape in 1989, Yusef Salaam, demanded in a full-page newspaper ad that Trump had previously paid for that Salaam and the other members of the "Central Park Five" receive the death penalty.

Salaam, a current Democratic candidate for the New York City Council, said in his advertisement that "Even though thirty-four years ago you effectively called for my death and the deaths of four other innocent children, I wish you no harm," despite the fact that you effectively called for my death and the deaths of four other innocent children 34 years ago. "Rather, I am putting my faith in the judicial system to seek out the truth." the speaker said.

Adav Noti, vice president of the Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan government watchdog, stated that the issues that will be addressed in several upcoming Trump-related cases "reflect the fragility of any democracy," He said that "People may try to stay in power illegally,"

The subject of at least two ongoing investigations into Trump is whether he attempted to obstruct the constitutional transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden as his successor. 

Trump keeps claiming falsely that widespread voter fraud cost him the 2020 election.

According to Noti, the best way to stop the sabotage of future elections is for "high-level people to do prison time for trying to overturn the 2020 election." He asserted that there is a valid explanation for why Americans are so pessimistic. It "doesn't have to be this way," though.