Indictment changes little for Trump

What we all knew was coming finally happened last Thursday when former President Donald Trump became the first President of the United States indicted for a crime.
The exact nature of the charges remains a mystery as the indictment has remained sealed, but the charges most likely surround Trump’s alleged payment to a former Playgirl playmate and a former adult movie star in exchange for their remaining quiet about having had an affair with him prior to his launching his 2016 presidential campaign.
What is crystal clear, however, is that this won’t stop Trump’s ambitions to try to secure a second term as president. Trump went straight to his usual playbook, claiming the investigation was yet another in a series of “witch hunts” against him as he works to “drain the swamp” in D.C. and liberate the country from the “deep state.” Trump has never, and will never, admit to doing anything wrong.
Whether or not this indictment, his impeachments, questionable business dealings, behavior, etc., etc., should disqualify him from running for president is left in the hands of the voters. Legally, he is still able to run for president, and he has gone full steam ahead, even using his indictment as a rallying cry as to how the world is out to get him.
Perhaps more importantly, however, is that there is absolutely nothing Trump can do that would turn off his most ardent of supporters. In their eyes he can do no wrong. They are in lock step with his stories, and everything is a conspiracy. If a democratic candidate were being indicted the same people would be screaming bloody murder, but that’s the way it is in politics. The same is true for Democrats. Their guy, good; the other guy, bad. It’s just where we are, for better or for worse.
Polls even show Trump is leading early Republican polls for the 2024 nomination. There is already a deep pool of presidential hopefuls in the GOP, many of whom would make a fine president. Ron DeSantis hasn’t officially declared, but likely will, and former vice president Mike Pence and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is in as well.
Can they oust Trump? That remains to be seen. He will undoubtedly develop derisive nicknames for all of them (he already has DeSantis) and come out swinging as Trump does. We would like to see the country move on from Trump and choose a different GOP candidate (who likely has a much better chance of defeating Joe Biden) and potentially lead the country out of the economic doldrums we find ourselves in.
Will that happen? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, though—Trump is going nowhere due to these charges.