Trump indictment throws 2024 race into uncharted territory

The historic indictment of former President Donald Trump thrust the 2024 presidential election into uncharted territory, raising the remarkable prospect that the leading contender for the Republican nomination will seek the White House while also facing trial for criminal charges in New York

The historic indictment of former President Donald Trump thrust the 2024 presidential election into uncharted territory, raising the remarkable prospect that the leading contender for the Republican nomination will seek the White House while also facing trial for criminal charges in New York.

In an acknowledgement of the sway the former President holds with the voters who will decide the GOP contest next year, those eyeing a primary challenge to Mr. Trump were quick to criticise the indictment. Without naming Mr. Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the move “un-American.” Former Vice President Mike Pence, whose life was threatened after Mr. Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, told CNN the charges were “outrageous.”

That posture speaks to the short-term incentives for Republicans to avoid anything that might antagonise Mr. Trump's loyal base. But the indictment raises profound questions for the GOP's future, particularly as Mr. Trump faces the possibility of additional charges soon in Atlanta and Washington. While that might galvanise his supporters, the turmoil could threaten the GOP's standing in the very swing-state suburbs that have abandoned the party in three successive elections, eroding its grip on the White House, Congress and key governorships.

Mr. Trump has spent four decades managing to skirt this type of legal jeopardy and expressed confidence again late Thursday, blaming the charges on “Thugs and Radical Left Monsters.”

“THIS IS AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY THE LIKES OF WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE,” Mr. Trump wrote on his social media site.

Mr. Trump is “ready to fight,” his attorney, Joe Tacopina, said on Fox News.

Mr. Trump is expected to surrender to authorities next week on charges connected to hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to women who alleged extramarital sexual encounters. For now, it remains unclear how the development will resonate with voters. Polls show Mr. Trump remains the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican nomination, and his standing has not faltered, even amid widespread reporting on the expected charges.