The impact of the lawsuits on the election campaign of former President Trump

2023-08-18 07:40:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Former President and Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, says that every new indictment against him is increasing support for him, which is also confirmed by recent polls.

But, as Voice of America correspondent Cindy Saine reports, some other polls point out that Mr. Trump has some weaknesses in the general presidential election. To win, in addition to the Republican nomination, he must defeat independent candidates and Democrats.

This week in Fulton City Hall, District Attorney Fannie Willis announced the fourth indictment against former President Donald Trump, this time over allegations that he tried to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia, which he lost to Democratic rival Joe Biden.

During his speech at a campaign rally in early August in Alabama, Mr. Trump called the indictments "ridiculous" and said they would only increase support for him.

"Every time they file an indictment, the support for us increases. We need one more indictment to close this election. One more indictment and this election is closed. Nobody stands a chance," he said.

According to a poll by the news agency 'Associated Press' and the Center for Research on Public Relations 'NORC', conducted before the filing of the lawsuit in Georgia, 74 percent of Republicans support Mr. Trump for the presidential election next year.

But 53 percent of all Americans polled say they won't support him, while another 11 percent say they 'probably won't support him in November 2024.'

Mr Trump is also facing lawsuits in Washington, New York and Florida. That could weaken any candidate, but not necessarily Mr. Trump, an expert told VOA.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we see Donald Trump take advantage of this process and try to use it to get press attention, because in many ways, his presidential campaign is the trial in Fulton, the trial in Washington, and the trials in New York. and Florida," says Professor Anthony Michael Kreis.

Another pundit told VOA he is troubled by the failure of most Republican leaders to hold Mr. Trump accountable and distance himself from him after allegations of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

"If the Republicans enter the race with Donald Trump as their candidate, anything can happen. "Especially because the Democrats will have an almost 82-year-old man running for another term - with all due respect to him, and I hope he lives to be 100," says political analyst Larry Sabato.

Some Americans say the age of the leading candidates is troubling. Mr. Biden is 80 years old, while Mr. Trump is 77.

Former Vice President in Mr. Trump's administration, Mike Pence, is also in the running for the Republican presidential nomination.

He says Mr. Trump tried to force him to overturn the election results in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

"That day, President Trump asked me to put it on the Constitution. But I chose the Constitution and I always will. "I truly believe that anyone who puts themselves above the Constitution should never be president of the United States," Mr. Pence said.

Mr. Trump is trying to delay the trials until after the 2024 election, but some experts say it is in the voters' best interest to know before the election whether he will be found guilty, especially on charges related to efforts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, for the first time in American history./ VOA