As former President Donald Trump has found himself faced with four separate 2023 criminal indictments, many have expected his fervent supporters to abandon their post at the backbone of the politician’s platform. Instead, the indictments merely add fuel to the fire that is “Trumpism,” leaving supporters more adamant on re-electing Trump than ever.
To understand the extent of Trumpism’s strength, we must first recap the details of each indictment.
Mere days before Trump became the 2016 President-elect, his previous attorney Michael Cohen set up a wire transfer of $130,000: money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels whom Trump had an alleged affair. While Trump aggressively denies claims of the affair, the sum paid for Daniels’ silence is significant. Rather notoriously, Trump had falsified 34 business records to cover up the monthly reimbursement of Cohen who has since spent three years in prison. Though Cohen was charged with his federal crimes and the act of transferring money to Daniels, he was not the only one acting for Trump when it came to exchanging funds for silence. American Media, once headed by Trump’s close ally David Pecker, paid former Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 to obtain the rights to the story that she had a long-lasting affair with Trump. In a calculated “catch and kill,” the National Enquirer parent company never actually released the information. Despite the story breaking just before Election Day in 2016 and McDougal gradually becoming vocal about her experience, Trump vehemently denies the affair.
Fundamentally, this hush-money case has adorned headlines and been the topic of many media discussions for years. Even so, Trump was only just indicted in March of 2023 by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. As Bragg remains firm in his decision to indict Trump seeing as the political figure repeatedly broke New York laws around business records, Trump perceives Bragg’s pursuit of the case to be “political persecution.”
Still, the hush money matter was simply the first in a series of indictments.
In June of 2023, a Miami federal grand jury indicted Trump when national documents (that should have been turned over to the National Archive following his 2020 election loss) were found scattered across his Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago estate. Classified details regarding U.S. military and nuclear weapons resided in a bedroom, ballroom and shower, among other locations throughout the property. The Archive noticed the absence of some of the documents and reached out to Trump’s team who failed to hand over the stockpiled collection in its entirety. This was solidified in an August FBI raid that came up with 92 secret, 67 confidential and 25 top-secret stashed records. As of now, the former President pleads “not guilty” citing political bias as the reason the case has arisen. Aileen Cannon, the current judge for the case and for Florida’s Southern District, has scheduled the trial in May of 2024. This is a pivotal time for Trump seeing as it falls towards the end of the presidential Republican primaries.
All the more, another spring 2024 trial is set to precede the Mar-a-Lago case by just two months. This is the trial for the notable August 1st indictment, the one that pertains to the January 6th Capitol insurrection. Trump’s potential charges in this indictment are many. A 45-page document accuses Trump of conspiracy against rights, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. These charges indicate the case will prove multifaceted with six other nameless individuals mentioned for their efforts in helping Trump throughout his pursuit of holding onto power. Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed to investigate the incident and Trump, claims the former President’s words fueled the insurrection. Contrarily, Trump claims the investigation and indictment itself is fueled by a desire to interrupt his campaign.
We also must not forget about the most recent indictment taking place on August 18th which accused Trump and a group of eighteen others of charges like fraud and racketeering. Responsible for the mugshots out of Fulton County jail circulating of Trump and colleagues, this indictment has been a long time coming. After a phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2, 2021, imploring him to “find […] votes,” a special purpose grand jury was created to take on the case. The jury conducted witness interviews and formulated a report that later reached the desk of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Composed of Trump allies and skeptics, part of the report made public did not necessarily outline any fraud in Georgia. Nonetheless, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act made it possible for charges to be pressed against the accused. While the 91 page indictment document raised thirteen charges against Trump, 30 others are mentioned for their involvement. Despite the document being a detailed account of alleged “tricks” Trump and co-conspirators pulled to turn the state red again, Trump denies any wrongdoing.
Indictments, arrests and all, polls indicate that despite a faltering basis of legality, Trump still trails ahead of fellow Republican party potential candidates. In early November, CBS reported that Trump theoretically held 61%, over half, of the GOP’s current vote. The runner-up, and not by close margins, was Ron DeSantis who was found to be supported by merely 18% of the surveyed respondents. In New Hampshire, CNN observed a similar 42% lead with Nikki Haley instead following in Trump’s wake with 20% of supposed votes. A recent USA Today report noted that Trump was favored among Republican party members in the 35-49 and 50-64 age ranges. Of Republican households earning <$50,000 annually, Trump was the chosen candidate of 68%.
These numbers seem especially surprising because Trump has not undergone the average 2024 campaign trail. Preoccupied with criminal charges, he has yet to even attend a Republican party debate. Could his lack of campaigning be the very thing driving supporters’ motivation towards his re-election?
A subset of Republicanism, Trumpism has long been considered a unique blend of intense nationalism and an extremist sort of political passion. Slogans like “Make America Great Again” have propelled the ideology to a new level, prompting supporters to envision a country removed from progressiveness and the constructs Trump has deemed the cause of many deep-rooted systemic issues. Trumpism appears dangerous as it fosters a love for Trump as a figure and individual. All the while, traditional forms of political support encourage constituents to vote based on an alignment for the values politicians stand for and who would be, objectively, the best-fit leader. While voting in this manner is rarely the case, a fanaticism fundamentally ingrained in Trumpism almost always achieves the opposite effect.
When Trumpism becomes a matter of defending Trump no matter his actions, it can be difficult for supporters to see the figure from a multitude of lenses. Therefore, indictments serve not as a reality check, but as fuel for an even more resolute attitude of support. These indictments are seen as threats to Trumpism as a whole, and Trump becomes resilient in the eyes of the people who see him as being wronged amid his many trials. We must acknowledge that Trump is not innocent in cultivating the fierce nature of his supporters. Using his site “Truth Social” as an outlet to network with followers, he finished his arrest prediction announcement with a quick remark demanding “Protest! Take our nation back!”
As students unable to or on the cusp of being able to vote, it is imperative we remain vigilant of the way the ideologies around us inform our own ideals and decisions. This sense of vigilance should continue as we follow Trump’s indictments, the trajectory of “Trumpism” and the 2024 election as a whole.
