Donald Trump Should 'Respect The Office And End Campaign': What His Political Opponents Are Saying After Indictment

In April 2023, Donald Trump became the first former president to be indicted on criminal charges. On Thursday, June 8, the former president said he is now facing federal criminal charges over the mishandling of classified documents while in office.

Here’s a look at the fallout for the 2024 election and what his opponents are saying.

What Happened: Trump is set to be indicted on seven charges according to multiple news outlets late Wednesday. The former president also confirmed the charges with his own post on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump told his followers on Truth Social that his attorney has been informed that the will be indicted over “the Boxes Hoax.” Trump also lashed out at President Joe Biden and his “1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware.”

The charges come from Trump reportedly having classified documents. Reports said Trump admitted on tape that he had the documents that mentioned a potential attack on Iran.

Trump’s indictment marked the first time a president or former president of the U.S. faced charges of this magnitude and also marks the second indictment for Trump in 2023.

Related Link: Trump Faces Fight Of His Life: Ex-Federal Prosecutor

Opponents React: With Trump’s indictment, his political opponents could have fuel to use in their fiery battle against the former president ahead of the 2024 election.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis condemned the indictment of Trump, according to the New York Post.

“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society,” DeSantis said Thursday. “We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation. Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary of Hunter?”

DeSantis was critical of the handling of the previous indictment against Trump by the state of New York.

Former New Jersey governor and former Trump ally Chris Christie recently entered the 2024 election race. Christie said he would wait until all “the facts are revealed” to comment further on the indictment.

“We don’t get our news from Trump’s Truth Social account,” Christie tweeted. “No one is above the law, no matter how much they wish they were.”

One of the newest opponents for the GOP nomination in the 2024 election is Mike Pence, who previously served as vice president to Trump during his time in the White House. Pence has criticized a potential indictment against Trump ahead of the charges. Pence said an indictment of Trump could “send a terrible message to the wider world” and continue to divide the country.

“I hope the DOJ thinks better of it and resolves these issues without an indictment,” Pence said.

Pence said no one is above the law but hopes there is another way to resolve the issue.

“I would just hope there would be a way for them to move forward without the dramatic and drastic and divisive step of indicting a former president of the United States.”

Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson said the indictment of Trump could be a distraction for the GOP.

“Donald Trump’s actions — from his willful disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law — should not define our nation or the Republican Party. This is a sad day for our country,” Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said the distraction of the case against Trump confirms the former president should “respect the office and end his campaign.”

Nikki Haley, a former South Carolina governor did not comment on the newest indictment against Trump, but shared criticism of the handling of the former president in March.

“When you get into political prosecutions like this, it’s more about revenge than it is about justice,” Haley said.

Conservative radio host Larry Elder, who is running for president, called the latest indictment “more partisan prosecution.” Elder also mentioned Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden in his commentary and the lack of charges against them.

Entrepreneur and 2024 presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy criticized the selective prosecution against Trump and the lack of prosecution against Democrats.

“I never thought we’d see the day when the U.S. President deputizes the DOJ to arrest his lead rival in the middle of an election. Obama shamefully tried to deputize the FBI to infiltrate Trump’s 2016 campaign, but they’re leaving nothing to chance this time around: the federal police state is outright arresting Trump,” Ramaswamy said.

Republican Senator and presidential hopeful Tim Scott called the charges “the weaponization of the Department of Justice.”

“The one thing that makes America the city on the hill is confidence in our justice system, and today what we see is a justice system where the scales are weighted,” Scott said.

2024 Election Impact: The impact on the 2024 election from the federal charges could be massive. The big question is in which direction will the impact be.

After Trump was indicted earlier in 2023, his rankings in polls and betting odds for the 2024 election seemed to gain and have minimal impact on his potential of winning re-election, if not actually improving the odds.

The comments from Trump’s rivals point more to an attack on the Republican party than charges against Trump meaning he may have done something wrong or illegal.

Donations increased for Trump’s campaign after his last indictment. This could be another item to watch as the latest events unfold.

Trump is scheduled to make speeches in Georgia and North Carolina over the weekend, according to the Wall Street Journal. Previous speeches are now expected to be rewritten and aimed at the handling of the Mar-a-Lago case.

To become president of the U.S., three requirements have to be met. A presidential candidate has to be 35 years of age, a natural-born citizen of the U.S. and have lived in the U.S. for 14 years.

While it may seem silly to think, there is no rule that requires a president of the United States to not be in jail or prison, opening up a world of possibilities ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump’s media company Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, has a provision in place in the event Trump serves time in jail or prison.

“The company principal’s ownership and position in the company shall be structured in such a way as to eliminate the need for restructuring of ownership or changes in position were a material disruptive event to occur."

The disruptive events listed in the filing include running for public office or being convicted of a felony criminal offense.

The provisions were made public as part of the pending merger between Trump Media &Technology Group and Digital World Acquisition Corporation DWAC.

If Trump is convicted of a federal crime and has to serve time, running for president or managing his namesake company shouldn’t be completely ruled out.

DWAC Price Action: Digital World Acquisition shares are down 0.039% to $12.90 on Friday.

Read Next: Donald Trump Treading Water: Flooded Mar-a-Lago Server Room Among Leaks In Classified Documents Case

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