Like just about everyone else on the Internet, I don’t have any keen insights regarding Trump’s indictment. I do find it amusing that this relatively small-potatoes case involving his efforts to cover up a sexual encounter is the first to expose him to criminal charges. With any luck, more serious charges will soon follow related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election and his incitement of the January 6 riot. In a sane world, any criminal indictment would functionally disqualify Trump as a presidential candidate, but we do not live in such a world.
I have no idea how this indictment will play out politically. The charges don’t seem substantive enough to spark street riots. Then again, trying to predict how the MAGA crowd will respond to any provocation is a fool’s game. If Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley were cleverer and more creative, they might be able to exploit the indictment to their advantage, but neither one seems to have the political chops. If anything, the person most likely to benefit is Trump, at least in the short run.
My favorite comment from someone on MetaFilter: “Hey, he finally won a popular vote!”
