The eight Republican presidential contenders on stage at Wednesday night’s debate were asked if they would support former President Trump as the 2024 GOP if he were to win the nomination even if he were to be found guilty in court.
Although former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie claimed he wasn’t attempting to raise his hand, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson was the only contender who kept his hand down the whole time. Trump has been indicted four times, yet he still leads all of his Republican rivals for the nomination even though he skipped the first debate.
Each Republican contender signed a promise promising their support for the party’s nominee no matter where in the country criminal charges are brought.
Others raised their hands: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott, and Christie.
Christie said he was not raising his hand but raising a finger to ask a question. He then said someone’s got to call out Trump and stop normalizing his behavior. According to Christie, such behavior is unfit for the presidency of the United States.
Hutchinson declared that because of what transpired on January 6, 2018, Trump was “morally disqualified from becoming president again.”
After being charged with 13 charges relating to an investigation into his alleged attempts to reverse the 2020 election, Trump plans to turn himself into authorities in Fulton County, Georgia, on Thursday night.
Six charges of criminal conspiracy, one count of submitting fraudulent papers, two counts of making false statements, and one count of violating the Georgia RICO Act were filed against him. Trump was charged with 34 charges of first-degree criminal fraud related to his businesses in New York, and he pled not guilty to all of them.
Trump was accused on federal criminal charges stemming from the investigation into his handling of confidential documents on June 8. He was charged with 37 felonies stemming from that investigation, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements, and deliberate retention of national security material, all of which he has denied.
A superseding indictment stemming from Smith’s research resulted in three more charges against Trump on July 27. In the history of the United States, Trump is the first former president to be indicted on criminal charges.
