Donald Trump indicted: Republicans erupt over ‘dark moment in American history’

News that President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury has sparked impassioned reactions, highlighting the deep divide in the country.

Rumors of an impending indictment against Trump have been circulating for weeks, but numerous reports and statements by Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, on Thursday confirmed that the grand jury moved forward to indict him on charges believed to be related to a $130,000 payment made during the 2016 election cycle to adult film star Stormy Daniels as hush money.

Before this development, no US President had ever been indicted. Trump is currently the front-runner in the Republican Party.

Trump’s son Eric called the indictment “third world prosecutorial misconduct” and “the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year.”

Republicans and conservative commentators largely echoed that sentiment, with Sen.Ted Cruz (R-TX) tweeting, “The Democrat Party’s hatred for Donald Trump knows no bounds…This is completely unprecedented and is a catastrophic escalation in the weaponization of the justice system.”

One of Trump’s 2024 GOP rivals, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, quickly sounded the alarms about how an indictment of Trump could erode public confidence in the justice system. Meanwhile, Republicans warned against the weaponization of the legal system in politics, while Democrats showed support for the grand jury’s decision.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly called the inquiry a “witch hunt.” There is no clarity on what charges the grand jury has approved.