The indictment of former US President Trump is turning him into a liability with independent voters, which makes the Republican establishment want Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the party’s presidential nominee instead, experts told Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 03rd April, 2023) The indictment of former US President Trump is turning him into a liability with independent voters, which makes the Republican establishment want Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the party’s presidential nominee instead, experts told Sputnik.

Last week, a grand jury in Manhattan voted to indict Trump on charges related to his alleged involvement in a hush money payment and subsequent cover-up involving a purported affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. The former US leader denies the allegations and the affair with Daniels. He has characterized the case as a “witch hunt.”

The case against Trump is especially sensitive due to the fact that he has already announced his 2024 presidential campaign and is currently the most popular candidate among registered Republicans, with his main rival DeSantis, who has not yet announced his run for the White House, being a distant second in most polls. The consequences of the criminal charges are much debated and not altogether clear at the moment, with some suggesting that they could help Trump win the GOP nomination but cost him votes next November.

“The indictment of Trump will certainly galvanize his hardcore supporters and partisan Republicans, but many independents will likely be alienated by the constant drama and controversy surrounding him. The indictment will likely help Trump secure the GOP nomination for the 2024 election. Still, it will probably be a liability in the general election, so the Republican establishment is clearly trying to replace Trump with Ron DeSantis,” Keith Preston, an anarchist theoretician and analyst, said.

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