How Donald Trump's criminal charges might inadvertently help his campaign in 2024

Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan, might soon prosecute President Trump with a crime. The former president has said that he anticipated being taken into custody and urged his followers to begin demonstrating. It's the type of event that would end many political careers even if the timing is still uncertain.

Trump, however, is likely to discover the exact reverse, that being the focus of such a historic legal case would provide his most recent presidential campaign a boost of enthusiasm and perhaps even some funding. It's been done before.

Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan, might soon prosecute President Trump with a crime. The former president has said that he anticipated being taken into custody and urged his followers to begin demonstrating. It's the type of event that would end many political careers even if the timing is still uncertain.

Trump, however, is likely to discover the exact reverse, that being the focus of such a historic legal case would provide his most recent presidential campaign a boost of enthusiasm and perhaps even some funding. It's been done before.

His re-election campaign raised millions from the first time he was impeached in late 2019 by claiming that it was a "deranged" attempt by the political establishment in Washington to defeat him. Republican support for the former President increased when the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago Club in August in pursuit of secret records he was storing there, and a political organization close to him experienced a spike in contributions.

A Manhattan grand jury that Bragg called is now considering an indictment as it hears testimony on an alleged hush money payment Trump allegedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Trump apparently tried to prevent Daniels from discussing what she said was a mutually consenting encounter with Trump in 2006 in public. Given that the revelation of an affair may have harmed Trump's campaign, Bragg is reportedly contemplating making the case that the payments amounted to unlawful campaign contributions.

According to her attorney, Daniels met with Manhattan prosecutors already. Then Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, appeared before the grand jury. In 2018, Cohen admitted to campaign law breaches that he claims were a part of a plot to assist Trump pay off Daniels.

In an effort to discourage Bragg from filing charges, Trump's legal team has seized on the notion that an indictment may improve Trump's political standing. According to Trump's defense attorney, Joseph Tacopina, if they bring this case, this would propel him into the White House. An indictment against Trump will demonstrate how they are militarizing the legal system. The people' right to vote is being taken away by them, Tacopina believes.

His re-election campaign raised millions from the first time he was impeached in late 2019 by claiming that it was a "deranged" attempt by the political establishment in Washington to defeat him. Republican support for the former President increased when the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago Club in August in pursuit of secret records he was storing there, and a political organization close to him experienced a spike in contributions.

A Manhattan grand jury that Bragg called is now considering an indictment as it hears testimony on an alleged hush money payment Trump allegedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels weeks before the 2016 presidential election. Trump apparently tried to prevent Daniels from discussing what she said was a mutually consenting encounter with Trump in 2006 in public. Given that the revelation of an affair may have harmed Trump's campaign, Bragg is reportedly contemplating making the case that the payments amounted to unlawful campaign contributions.

According to her attorney, Daniels met with Manhattan prosecutors already. Then Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, appeared before the grand jury. In 2018, Cohen admitted to campaign law breaches that he claims were a part of a plot to assist Trump pay off Daniels.

In an effort to discourage Bragg from filing charges, Trump's legal team has seized on the notion that an indictment may improve Trump's political standing. According to Trump's defense attorney, Joseph Tacopina, if they bring this case, this would propel him into the White House. An indictment against Trump will demonstrate how they are militarizing the legal system. The people' right to vote is being taken away by them, Tacopina believes.

More legal inquiries are being made against Trump right now than any other former president in history. Trump's attempts to overturn Biden's victory in Georgia in the 2020 election are being investigated by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis, and Department of Justice Special Council Jack Smith is looking into how Trump handled sensitive information. Bragg decided not to file charges against Trump last year after learning that he had allegedly misled lenders and insurers about the worth of his buildings.

Trump has endured years of legal battles and detectives hot on his trail. Even many of Trump's detractors may find it disappointing that he may be prosecuted for allegedly trying to cover up an affair after years of high-profile investigations into whether he or his allies collaborated with Russia or his participation in a fatal riot against the Capitol. Trump has said that, even if he were to be charged, he would still run for president.

According to Republican strategist and pollster Whit Ayres, allegations about the Daniels' hush money payments would be old news to most Americans, and he could easily portray this as merely a liberal democratic vendetta against him.

Since a New York Democratic prosecutor would be bringing the charges, Ayres continues, an indictment by Bragg would have a significantly less impact than an indictment in Georgia or by the Department of Justice would have.

Former Trump White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley, who continues to communicate often with Trump, concurs that the former President's 2024 campaign would be able to capitalize on criminal accusations.

According to Gidley, people are undoubtedly enraged that the government and other institutions would attack someone in this manner, and it unquestionably enhances support for Trump.

Trump declared his campaign for president in December but continues to deny that he was really defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election. More than two years after losing the election to Biden, Trump still has a high level of popularity among Republicans. Yet, he will have opposition in 2024 since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who hasn't formally declared his candidacy, is garnering a lot of support from Republican donors and polls. At a campaign address in Iowa, Trump attacked DeSantis, referring to him as Ron "DeSanctimonious."

Since a New York Democratic prosecutor would be bringing the charges, Ayres continues, an indictment by Bragg would have a significantly less impact than an indictment in Georgia or by the Department of Justice would have.

Former Trump White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley, who continues to communicate often with Trump, concurs that the former President's 2024 campaign would be able to capitalize on criminal accusations.

According to Gidley, people are undoubtedly enraged that the government and other institutions would attack someone in this manner, and it unquestionably enhances support for Trump.

Trump declared his campaign for president in December but continues to deny that he was really defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 election. More than two years after losing the election to Biden, Trump still has a high level of popularity among Republicans. Yet, he will have opposition in 2024 since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who hasn't formally declared his candidacy, is garnering a lot of support from Republican donors and polls. At a campaign address in Iowa, Trump attacked DeSantis, referring to him as Ron "DeSanctimonious."

Last year, many Republicans, including DeSantis, rallied behind Trump and denounced the federal authorities' search of his Mar-a-Lago club. After Trump's assertion that he would be arrested, a similar pattern had already started to take shape over the weekend. Representative Kevin McCarthy, Senator Lindsey Graham, and former Vice President Mike Pence were among the prominent Republicans who swiftly attacked an unfiled indictment.

McCarthy tweeted on Saturday, "Here we go again - an appalling misuse of authority by a radical DA who lets dangerous murderers go while he chases political revenge on President Trump. I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions."

The argument Bragg is pursuing is dubious, according to Hans von Spakovsky, director of The Heritage Foundation's Election Law Reform Project in Washington, D.C. According to him, secret payments are not against the law in and of themselves, and a local prosecutor shouldn't even be looking into a case involving purported campaign law infractions. He claims that such issues should be handled by federal prosecutors at the Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission, both of which are aware of Cohen's guilty plea for campaign-related offenses since 2018. As per Spakovsky, none of the two federal agencies charged with upholding the law and federal campaign finance regulations believed this was a violation warranting Trump being held accountable.

According to Von Spakovsky, a prospective indictment by the Manhattan district attorney would further amplify the negative perceptions of Trump that the majority of Americans already hold. "The world is divided into two halves,” von Spakovsky says, “and I suspect the people who are really big supporters of Trump will say, ‘See, this is another sign of the way people that hate him are willing to do anything to get him.’ Whereas, I think folks on the other side who don’t like Trump will say, ‘See, this just shows how bad he is."

McCarthy tweeted on Saturday, "Here we go again - an appalling misuse of authority by a radical DA who lets dangerous murderers go while he chases political revenge on President Trump. I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions."

The argument Bragg is pursuing is dubious, according to Hans von Spakovsky, director of The Heritage Foundation's Election Law Reform Project in Washington, D.C. According to him, secret payments are not against the law in and of themselves, and a local prosecutor shouldn't even be looking into a case involving purported campaign law infractions. He claims that such issues should be handled by federal prosecutors at the Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission, both of which are aware of Cohen's guilty plea for campaign-related offenses since 2018. As per Spakovsky, none of the two federal agencies charged with upholding the law and federal campaign finance regulations believed this was a violation warranting Trump being held accountable.

According to Von Spakovsky, a prospective indictment by the Manhattan district attorney would further amplify the negative perceptions of Trump that the majority of Americans already hold. "The world is divided into two halves,” von Spakovsky says, “and I suspect the people who are really big supporters of Trump will say, ‘See, this is another sign of the way people that hate him are willing to do anything to get him.’ Whereas, I think folks on the other side who don’t like Trump will say, ‘See, this just shows how bad he is."

According to Von Spakovsky, a prospective indictment by the Manhattan district attorney would further amplify the negative perceptions of Trump that the majority of Americans already hold. "The world is divided into two halves,” von Spakovsky says, “and I suspect the people who are really big supporters of Trump will say, ‘See, this is another sign of the way people that hate him are willing to do anything to get him.’ Whereas, I think folks on the other side who don’t like Trump will say, ‘See, this just shows how bad he is."