Trump maintains front-runner status despite new federal charges.

The Bombshell Indictment: Three New Charges Against Donald Trump

The bombshell news on ⁤Thursday that special counsel ⁤Jack Smith unveiled three new charges against⁣ former President Donald Trump in a​ superseding indictment over allegations he mishandled classified⁤ documents while in office would have destroyed any other presidential candidate.

But Trump is ‌not a typical candidate.

Donald Trump‌ Indicted: Three Things We Learned in Jack Smith’s Superseding Indictment

He’s maintained an iron‌ hold over the 2024 Republican primary race despite the⁤ fact‍ he is ​a twice-indicted and twice-impeached presidential candidate. The ​recent indictment from Smith brings the total ‌charges against Trump for improperly mishandling sensitive documents to 40, up from‍ the 37 federal charges that⁣ were​ first unveiled ‌last month. ‍Trump is also accused ⁤of deleting security footage⁢ at his Mar-a-Lago property along with maintenance worker Carlos ‍De Oliveira and​ his other ⁤co-defendant, Walt Nauta.

If⁢ the past is‌ any indication, Smith’s latest actions will likely only increase⁢ Trump’s ⁤poll numbers, bolster ​his fundraising prowess, and maintain his lead over all ⁤other GOP presidential hopefuls. The former president has indicated he will not drop‌ out of ​the 2024 race despite his increasing legal woes. “It wouldn’t stop me,” Trump said Friday morning ‌about ⁣any possible sentencing. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, instead attacking Smith as “deranged” and ⁤deriding the ⁣indictments‍ as “election interference.”

On Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers are once again coming to Trump’s aid. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, ‌defended Trump during a Fox ⁣News interview⁢ on Friday.

“What⁣ the establishment doesn’t realize is this will strengthen President’s​ Trump position, not only⁤ in the ​primary but in‍ the general ⁣election because⁢ it epitomizes the ⁢weaponization of‌ these‍ federal agencies​ and the Department of Justice⁣ against President​ Trump,” Stefanik said. “They need to be reined in. ⁢And the reason why ⁢President Trump is in such a⁤ strong position among many is he is uniquely positioned to drain the swamp.”

There​ may be some precedent⁢ to Stefanik’s defense. After Trump was first indicted over the mishandling ‌of the documents, his poll numbers were virtually unchanged, a strong indication of ⁢GOP primary voters’ ‍allegiance to Trump. A Quinnipiac University poll released last ​month showed 53% of Republican and Republican-leaning voters would support Trump, a 30 percentage point​ advantage over the next closest candidate, Gov.⁢ Ron DeSantis ⁣(R-FL), who received 23% of voter support. Trump currently receives ‍52.4% support among Republican primary voters, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average.

DeSantis demurred on‍ whether the indictments would disqualify Trump. “At the end of the‌ day, voters ⁣make that decision,” DeSantis said. “What we⁣ need to make ‍the election about⁣ is a referendum on⁣ Biden’s failed policies and our positive vision⁣ to get America on the right track.” He also told Megyn Kelly during an interview this week that if he were elected president he may consider pardoning Trump if he were ⁤to be sentenced.

Longshot Republican presidential candidate former Texas representative Will Hurd opted for ‌a more hard-line stance against Trump. “Donald Trump is not running for president to make America great again,” ⁢Hurd said on Thursday. “Donald‍ Trump is not‍ running for‍ president to defend our interests overseas. Donald Trump is not ⁤even ⁣running to represent the ⁢people that voted for him in 2016 and in 2020. Donald Trump is ⁢running for president ⁤in order ⁢for him ⁢to stay out of​ jail.”

Trump’s latest legal woes also serve to suck media attention ⁤from rivals, most of whom are attending ​the Iowa Republican Party’s Lincoln Dinner Friday. Home to the first-in-the-nation caucuses, Iowa is ⁤a must-win⁢ state for any non-Trump candidate⁢ to have a credible and viable shot ​at winning the GOP ​nomination.

DeSantis, Trump’s strongest competitor, is staking ‍his campaign on winning the ‌caucuses. ⁣Even ⁣before‍ the Lincoln⁤ Dinner, DeSantis had been in Iowa ‌for a two-day tour in the Hawkeye State in⁤ conjunction⁣ with his affiliated ‍super​ PAC ‌Never ⁢Back ‍Down. The group‌ announced ⁣that 11 Iowa sheriffs endorsed DeSantis on Thursday ‍and that it had⁤ reached one million⁢ door knocks during the 2024 cycle, the ⁣first ​of any other campaign.

“Door knocking efforts this cycle have been critical⁢ in building‍ the necessary ground game⁤ to win the White House, and our team at Never Back Down has⁢ been leading the‌ charge,” said​ Kate Roberts, national⁢ field ‍director for ⁤Never ​Back Down. “We have ⁤built a⁢ very⁣ successful organization across early primary states with Americans from all over the country raising their hand to support the cause: getting Governor DeSantis in the White House ​and turning ​our country around.”

However, ⁢unlike Trump, DeSantis’s campaign’s recent problems, including firing 38 staffers this week, have hindered him not just‌ in national and state polls but among GOP mega-donors, which the Trump ​campaign has gleefully noted. Even amid his‌ legal problems,‌ Trump ‍has taken to ‍Truth⁣ Social to slam the governor. “Ron DeSanctimonious would ​be a COMPLETE DISASTER for American Farmers and ‍the people of ⁤Iowa!” Trump⁤ posted.

As the​ current front-runner​ in the GOP primary race, Trump⁢ has ⁣proven a formidable ​foe, but political experts and rivals have cautioned that much can happen‌ between⁢ now⁣ and the Jan. ⁤15 Iowa caucuses.

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