Unhappy Task for Trumps GOP Rivals: Defend the Man Dominating the Polls
The New York Times The pressure on Republicans was quick: line up behind Donald Trump or risk looking like they werent on Team G.O.P. at a moment of heightened tribal politics.
In the topsy-turvy world of 2024 Republican politics, rivals of Donald J. Trump had been bracing for weeks for his second indictment with more dread than any sense ofopportunity.
After years of successive scandals, the immediate instincts of somany Republican voters are thoroughly ingrained. They snap to Mr. Trumps defense, no matter how outrageous the charges are or who is making them Democrats, the news media, local prosecutors or, now, federal ones. Donations surged after Mr. Trumps first indictment in Manhattan. And he consolidated support in the polls.
Even prominent Republicans eager for the party to cast aside Mr. Trump in 2024 were concerned ahead of the indictment. They have long been exasperated by the immunity of Mr. Trumps base to almost any attack or argument, swarming to neutralize any perceived political threat almost by habit.
