WASHINGTON – When Republicans talk about whether Donald Trump will run for president again in 2024, many hasten to add it may depend on what is now a big unknown: His legal troubles.
Can an indicted ex-president still lead a political party?
No one knows for sure, but some Republicans are increasingly discussing the possibility.
Criminal charges would, at the very least, create political problems for Trump, but allies and analysts said they would not necessarily prevent him from campaigning for Republicans in 2022 congressional races and even pursuing another presidential campaign in 2024.
“None of this matters,” pollster Frank Luntz said. “It doesn’t matter for his decision making or for anyone who votes for him.”
He added: “It’s just so irrelevant.”
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If anything, indictments over past business practices might trigger Trump to mount another campaign if only to spite his enemies, some Republicans who spoke to USA TODAY said. The ex-president and his supporters would claim that indictments are the products of a Democratic plot to derail him and his agenda.
Trump himself suggested as much after the Attorney General’s office in New York state announced that its investigation of certain financial dealings had moved from a “civil” matter to a “criminal” one.
In a lengthy written statement…
