'Tense days' ahead: Columnist warns 'long and exhausting journey with Trump' is only just beginning

As Donald Trump prepares for yet another criminal trial, this time in regard to efforts to overturn the 2020 election, he's responding with the same kind of vitriol that many say inspired his supporters to riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, writes CNN's Stephen Collinson.

"Ominous and tense days may be ahead," Collinson says.

Trump pleaded "not guilty" to the charges as he was arraigned Thursday, the third time he has being hit with criminal charges this year.

According to Collinson, if Trump wins back the White House, he "could trigger a new constitutional crisis by sweeping away the federal cases against him or even by pardoning himself."

"Any alternative Republican president could find themselves besieged by demands from Trump supporters for a pardon that, if granted, could overshadow their entire presidency. And if Trump is convicted, and loses a 2024 general election, he risks a long jail term, which would likely become fuel for him to incite his supporters to fresh protest," Collinson writes.

And when it comes to Republicans, their "blind spot" when it comes to Trump's behavior "shows just how far he has changed their party," writes Collinson, adding that America's "long, exhausting journey with Trump" is far from over.

Read the full op-ed at CNN.