Should Trump go to jail? The 2024 election could become a referendum on that question
- Donald Trump’s indictments ensure his 2024 campaign and legal issues are now intertwined
- Despite his legal peril, Trump holds a substantial lead in polls for the Republican nomination
The 2024 election will determine whether Donald Trump returns to the White House. It could also decide if he’ll face time behind bars.
Now slapped with his third criminal indictment – this time for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and block the transfer of presidential power – for Trump, winning is about more than ego, redemption, score-settling or the future of the country.
“This election may very well be about Donald Trump’s personal freedom,” said Ari Fleischer, a longtime Republican strategist. “It’s not an exaggeration to say, if convicted, he could be sentenced to prison unless he wins and he uses the levers of justice to reverse it or stop it or drop it.”
The deeply personal stakes for Trump add to what is already an election unlike any other in modern history. It’s now not only a debate over the country’s challenges, but a partisan fight over whether the 77-year-old former president and Republican Party front runner should spend time in prison.
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US former president Donald Trump indicted on 4 charges in his role to overturn 2020 election results
Putting that issue out front, Trump ally Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, tweeted that she “will still vote for Trump even if he’s in jail”.