TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Not only is former President Donald Trump’s federal indictment historically unprecedented, but it is also creating an unprecedented situation in American politics.
“This injects a lot of uncertainty into the campaign. Donald Trump has said that he will continue as a candidate and so it is yet to be determined what the effect of this will be on the actual campaign.” Political science professor Joshua Scacco said. “There is not a lot of precedent here. Where there’s even less precedent is that this applies to a former president of the United States. There are particular implications of that, particularly about the campaign, but also even more importantly for democracy.”
Trump has said he has no intention of backing out, calling the legal challenge a “witch hunt” and his top Republican rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis agrees.
“The weaponization of these agencies strikes at the heart of what it means to have a free society and it’s not just affecting people at the top it’s affecting people throughout our country,” DeSantis said.
Political pundits say DeSantis is walking a tightrope in that he’s trying to reject the Department of Justice prosecution without allowing Trump to benefit.
DeSantis’ super PAC is also trying to thread the needle by opposing the indictment while also saying it’s typical for Trump.
“It just becomes more baggage that has to be dealt with in the election, and voters are gonna have to decide if they’re willing to power through all that when they can do better with Governor DeSantis and do better for eight years,” Ken Cuccinelli, the founder of Pro-DeSantis Super PAC Never Back Down said.
It’s unclear how the message will resonate with voters, but early polls show Trump remains the leader in the GOP primary. Political experts caution that this race for the White House is just getting started.