Republican congressional leaders mourned the timing, calling it a sad day in the annals of American history.
The conservative media issued a call to action to the party base.
A prominent Donald J. Trump supporter has suggested that the former president’s mugshot should be used as the 2024 campaign poster.
Even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely seen as Trump’s main presidential rival, swiftly on Thursday condemned the prosecutor who brought the case in Manhattan that led to this landmark indictment of the former president.
Although he did not mention Trump by name, DeSantis said Florida will not assist in his extradition.
Throughout the Republican Party, anger and accusations of injustice flowed from both supporters and critics of the former president.
Many have said that Trump could benefit from the outpouring of sympathy across the party, as his base of supporters is likely to be energized by the belief that the justice system has been used against him.
“This unprecedented indictment against a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” former Vice President Mike Pence told CNN.
In some parts, there was a more negative reaction. On Fox News, host Tucker Carlson said that decision showed that “it’s probably not the best time to get rid of AR-15s.”
“The rule of law seems to have been suspended tonight — not just for Trump but for anyone considering voting for him,” Carlson said.
One of his guests, conservative media figure Glenn Beck, predicted that such an allegation could wreak havoc for years to come.
How this indictment could affect Trump’s bid to remain the nation’s top Republican and win his party’s 2024 presidential nomination may not be clear for weeks, if not months.
The Manhattan investigation is one of four Trump-related criminal investigations and the cumulative outcomes and political effects of those cases remain to be seen.
