How to Watch Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 Insurrection Trial

Former Apprentice host and impeached former President Donald Trump.

Former President Donald Trump has several trials lined up, but the one at the top of many people's minds at the moment is the election obstruction trial tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection attempt at the Capitol.

Trump is accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results that saw him lose to President Joe Biden. In other cases against him, he's charged with obstruction of justice, corruptly concealing and withholding documents related to national defense and falsifying business records. In various civil court cases, he's accused of battery, defamation and endorsing a pyramid scheme.

Trump has denied every criminal charge and civil allegation against him, and he is officially innocent until proven guilty.

If you're excited to make some popcorn and settle in for what would be riveting courtroom proceedings, or if you just want to know what the heck is happening, read on.

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How many times has Donald Trump been indicted?

So far, former President Trump has been indicted three times on a running total (as of this writing) of 78 criminal charges.

Jan 6. Insurrection Case

Trump was indicted on Aug. 1, 2023, for four criminal charges in relation to the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021. These charges include:

• Conspiracy to defraud the United States (by allegedly proliferating false claims of the 2020 presidential election being stolen and attempting to discount valid and legitimate votes for President Biden, in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results)

• Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding (by allegedly attempting to organize to prevent certification of the electoral college votes)

• Obstructing/attempting to obstruct an official proceeding (by allegedly attempting to block Congress' certification of the 2020 election)

• Conspiracy against rights (for allegedly oppressing citizens' right to vote through intimidation and threats)

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Classified Documents Case

In June 2023, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal charges in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. These charges included:

• 31 charges of willfully retaining and failing to hand over classified documents related to national defense

• Conspiracy to obstruct justice

• Withholding a document related to national defense

• Concealing a document or record in a federal investigation

• Corruptly concealing a document or record related to national defense

• Scheming to conceal evidence or information from law enforcement

• Making false statements to law enforcement

On July 27, 2023, he was hit with another count of willful retention of National Defense Information. In a statement responding to the July count, Trump's campaign said, "This is nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their Department of Justice to harass President Trump and those around him."

Hush Money Case

In addition to being the first former reality-TV star to be elected president of the United States, Trump made history a second time in late March 2023, when he became the first president of the United States to be criminally indicted. His first indictment is in relation to Trump's attorney, Michael Cohen, allegedly paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels in October 2016 to prevent her from going public with her alleged 2006 affair with Trump during his presidential campaign. Trump's organization allegedly listed the payments to Cohen as legitimate expenses.

The charges in the hush money case are for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty to all of the allegations.

Is Trump facing other criminal charges?

Former President Trump may face criminal charges in an investigation into election interference in Georgia. The New York Times reports that the case will go to a grand jury in the state in mid-to-late August 2023.

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What is Trump going to trial for?

Trump may be going to trial not just for his criminal cases, but also in several civil lawsuits. So far, these are the trials for which Trump is tentatively scheduled:

Oct. 2, 2023: Trial in Trump Organization civil fraud suit

New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump and the Trump Organization of allegedly manipulating property valuations in an attempt to secure tax breaks, better loan terms and insurance policies. As such, the state of New York sued Trump and the Trump Organization for a cool $250 million in damages. Trump's sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were also named in the suit. Though the statute of limitations precludes the state from suing for any alleged fraud taking place before July 13, 2014, or Feb. 6, 2016, depending on the defendant, James alleges that the fraud dates back as early as 2011, according to Reuters.

Trump denied all of the claims and called them a "witch hunt."

Jan. 15, 2024: Trial in E. Jean Carroll civil sexual battery and defamation suit

E. Jean Carroll accused Trump of raping her in a Manhattan Bergdorf Goodman store in the 1990s. In May 2023, a jury awarded Carroll $5 million for sexual abuse and defamation, but not for rape, in a civil lawsuit.

Trump then sued Carroll for defamation for accusing him of rape, and in early August 2023, a judge dismissed the suit. On Aug. 10, 2023, Trump appealed the dismissal.

In a separate lawsuit filed in November 2022, Carroll sued Trump for sexual battery under the Adult Survivors Act, which lets survivors of sexual abuse and assault sue their alleged abusers past the normal statute of limitations. She also sued Trump for defamation over Truth Social posts in which he claimed that her allegations against him were a "hoax" because she isn't his "type."

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Jan. 29, 2024: Trial in pyramid scheme class-action suit

A class action lawsuit against Trump is slated to go to trial on Jan. 29, 2024. The lawsuit accuses the Trump Corporation of promoting an illegal "get rich quick" pyramid scheme. The lawsuit alleges that the Trump Corporation's endorsement of the multi-level marketing company, ACN Opportunity, LLC, "offered a reasonable probability of commercial success" and resulted in them allegedly "conn[ing] each of these victims into giving up hundreds or thousands of dollars."

March 25, 2024: Hush Money Case

The criminal trial in the Stormy Daniels hush money case is set to begin on March 25, 2024.

May 20, 2024: Classified Documents Case

The criminal trial against Trump in the classified documents case is slated to begin on May 20, 2024.

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When is Trump going to trial for the Jan. 6 Insurrection charges?

Special counsel has proposed a start date of Jan. 2, 2024, for the criminal charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection attempt. The date has not yet been confirmed.

How to watch Trump’s Jan. 6 insurrection trial

As it stands, the criminal trial against Trump tied to the Jan. 6 insurrection attempt won't be televised. This isn't a special case—there's a rule prohibiting broadcasting from courtrooms for federal proceedings that has existed long before any allegations were levied against the former president. This is the same rule that keeps courtroom artists in business! Lawmakers are, however, trying to make an exception for the Trump insurrection trial, so it remains to be seen if that will be granted.

That said, if you still really wanted to watch it, you could watch the proceedings in person.

Can you watch any of the upcoming Trump trials on TV?

Trump's federal criminal trial tied to Jan. 6 likely won't be televised. While it remains to be seen if the others will be broadcast, some experts have argued against doing so, citing concerns for the safety and wellbeing of the jurors.

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