It is the beginning of the end? The indictment of Donald Trump, the first of a US presidential candidate, throws his 2024 campaign into uncertainty.
(Further: Trump says indictment is ‘political persecution and election interference’)
The main risk for Trump is to turn against moderate Republicans and independents, who may see indictment by a New York court as a red line.
(In context: A New York grand jury votes to indict Donald Trump)
Trump is accused of having paid $130,000, just before his presidential victory in November 2016, to the porn actress Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had sexual relations with the tycoon, who denies it.
(You can read: The case of the former porn actress for which Trump will face criminal charges)
Influence
This first accusation could open the door to others: Trump is also the subject of an investigation for the way in which he managed the files in the White House and for allegedly having exerted electoral pressure on the state of Georgia. In the latter case, the prosecutor promised an “imminent” decision.
But the accusation also It could benefit the candidate at a time when he lacks the campaign dynamics of years ago.
Julian Zelizer, a professor at Princeton University, acknowledges that any other presidential candidate would be “terrified” by such accusations, but “one of Trump’s greatest talents is to capitalize on attacks against him.”
(Also read: Third world? The strong reaction of the son of Donald Trump for imputation)
Trump came to power in November 2016 in an unprecedented political scenario that almost no one had predicted, and he may be tempted to position himself as a rogue candidate again.
The New York billionaire does not miss an opportunity to repeat his well-known script as a leader close to the Americans – mostly white and of a certain age – who fight against “mass corruption” in Washington.
And he’s already sent out the first fundraising emails, asking his supporters to donate between $24 and $250 to “support President Trump at this crucial time.”
(We recommend: The tangle of judicial processes that corner former President Donald Trump)
“The New York prosecutor did more to help Donald Trump get elected president than anyone in the United States today,” influential Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Saturday, calling the New York indictments “selective.”
The conservative right abandoned him after the attack on the US Congress in January 2021 by his supporters but, In a few months, the former leader managed to regain almost total control of the party.
It was announced a thousand times that it was falling, but it has so far survived all the scandals. As if, by dint of accumulation, they no longer had any effect.
‘Caught up’
Most of the polls, which must be taken with caution, still point to the former president as the clear winner in a Republican primary.
Most of his rivals for the Republican nomination have avoided criticizing Trump over his court cases so as not to anger the party boss and his constituency, which they need to win the White House.
(Keep reading: The porn actress who could put Trump in jail and what weighs against him)
They “are trapped”, says Professor Zelizer. “Some want to be more critical but are afraid to challenge it.”
without consideration
Abandoned by much of his team after his supporters stormed the US Congress on January 6, 2021, the 76-year-old billionaire, who embodies unapologetic populism, has regained control over the Republican Party, which he will ask to elect him. to try to win back the White House.
He will not be shy about those who stand in his way because Trump remains faithful to his principle: either they are with him or they are against him.
On social networks, he continues to call his detractors nicknames. He calls US Democratic President Joe Biden “Sleepy Joe.” And her great Republican enemy Liz Cheney calls her “crazy.”
(You can read: ‘Trump created false expectations about his arrest’: Manhattan prosecutor)
Surrounded by investigations, about his role in the assault on the Capitol, the management of the White House files and his financial affairs, Donald Trump launched himself fully into a new electoral campaign in which he denounced a “witch hunt”.
Repeat the feat?
More than two years after leaving the White House, Trump continues to win over Americans – mostly white and of a certain age – who feel scorned by East Coast “elites” with a speech focused on the fight against immigration and crime.
Will it be enough to repeat his feat?
At campaign rallies, where the famous red Make America Great Again hats still abound, you no longer see the crowd of yesteryear.
(Also read: Who is Stormy Daniels, the porn actress who has Donald Trump in trouble?)
Donald Trump looks less fit. In his crusade against these never-proven alleged “frauds” of the 2020 election, this great wrestling fan now seems bitter and cynical, almost encysted. Above all, The Republican “giant wave” promised by the former president in the last legislative elections last November, and which he intended to use as a platform for a new candidacy, did not materialize.
And it is that part of the conservative right turned to another possible contender for the White House: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. However, he can count on his supporter base, which has rallied across the country to groups that promise to “protect” the upcoming election.
WILLIAM MORENO HERNANDEZ
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
TIME
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