The possibility of the Manhattan Criminal Court indicting former President Donald Trump on charges related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels has led to a variety of theories around the inevitable political fallout to come.
Though the charges reportedly to be brought against Trump initially don’t appear to be anything that would land him in jail for even a day, the possibility of handcuffs and a perp walk for the former president has Democrats salivating and conservatives, even Trump critics, aghast that partisan politics have descended so low. This is the stuff of banana republics and Third World dictatorships, not what was not so long ago the beacon of the free world.
As to the motivations, assuming there are any beyond blind hatred for the former president, former Trump advisor and attorney Jenna Ellis suggested that the goal could be to “keep him from being able to raise enough money for a serious campaign.”
Here’s what you need to know about the possible Trump indictment:
The goal isn’t the political fallout. They know he isn’t going to exit the race, nor is he constitutionally required to. The goal to keep him from being able to raise enough money for a serious campaign. It’s the…
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) March 17, 2023
Some, including Dilbert creator Scott Adams and Trump defense lawyer Joe Tacopina, believe the move could propel him back to the presidency:
“I believe this will catapult him into the White House” – Trump Defense Lawyer Joe Tacopina on the Manhattan DA’s case. pic.twitter.com/Tnycj0yweH
— The Beat with Ari Melber 📺 (@TheBeatWithAri) March 15, 2023
If they handcuff Trump, he is your next president. https://t.co/Mqk0hDcRkB
— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) March 18, 2023
But with a drained war chest and potential donors shying away, it seems unclear how the former president could win what would already be an extremely tough general election against any Democrat.
Enter the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh, who suggested Saturday that the motivation could be to make just enough of a martyr out of Trump to ensure he wins the GOP nomination – even against a potential strong challenger like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – but ultimately runs out of steam and loses the general election.
“They want Trump to be the Republican nominee,” Walsh wrote Saturday morning. “That’s obviously the play here. There is no other conceivable reason to arrest and perp walk him on a bullshit misdemeanor charge. I might be overestimating the tactical intelligence of the idiot power-hungry hacks behind this. But if there is any political strategy then that has to be it.”
They want Trump to be the Republican nominee. That’s obviously the play here. There is no other conceivable reason to arrest and perp walk him on a bullshit misdemeanor charge.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) March 18, 2023
I think Walsh is on to something. If Democrats want Trump to be the nominee – and if you watch two seconds of MSNBC punditry you’ll know all arrows point to yes on that score – it’s because they know he can be easily beaten in the general. They can’t wait to ignite their base and replay January 6th footage from the time Trump is nominated until the day Biden or whoever replaces him wins in an Electoral College landslide. Their worst nightmare, on the other hand, is someone with Trump’s policies but none of his baggage, like DeSantis.
Finally, I’ll leave you with BlazeTV host Steve Deace raising another potential motivation that Trump’s most earnest supporters should certainly watch out for – a replay of January 6th.
Just what they want. They are gonna goad us into another January 6 narrative but on a bigger scale. Once we assemble to protest, the feds will already be in place to stoke the flames. Having fun yet? We need to play chess here. Not react to this injustice emotionally. https://t.co/Eab3F8Ci56
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) March 18, 2023
If you're dumb enough to walk right into a fed trap with a "protest" on behalf of the banana republic they want to do to Trump, please at least be smart enough to secure legal counsel beforehand. And make sure his name isn't Ray Epps.
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) March 18, 2023
I will donate to his campaign no matter what they do it is all BS politics at its best for the dems it will back fire ppl will donate and all the small donations will make a big pot for him,