It's harmful to the – to American national security, and it doesn't show the kind of judgment that you need to be an effective president. You have to be clear, these are serious charges, and we don’t’ need a commander in chief that disregards our secrets.ĬHRIS CHRISTIE (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's reckless. KARL: The most forceful Republican condemnation’s of Trump’s alleged actions come from two contenders who are now considered longshots for the nomination, but both are former prosecutors.ĪSA HUTCHINSON (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is of such national interest that you can’t tiptoe. So, I would be inclined in favor of a pardon. And I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case. You know, when you look at a pardon, the issue is less about guilt and more about what's good for the country. I think the Justice Department has handled this whole thing terribly. KARL: But the very next day, she too was raising the possibility of a Trump pardon. NIKKI HALEY (R), 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If this indictment is true, if what it says is actually the case, President Trump was incredibly reckless with our national security. KARL: Another contender, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, seemed to condemn Trump's alleged actions. If there was a different standard, we're going to be very inclined to grant clemency in those situations. We – we said this - even before this happened with Trump, you know, we’ll have people who have been wronged, before we come into office, apply. RON DESANTIS (R-FL) AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So I said when I – before that even happened that we have an uneven justice system. Would a President DeSantis potentially pardon him? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been talk about if for some reason he was convicted a potential pardon. He has said virtually nothing about Trump's alleged obstruction of justice or his mishandling of America's most sensitive national security secrets beyond leaving open the possibility that if elected president he may pardon Trump. Ron DeSantis, as of this moment anyway, is the leading rival to Trump. Today, most of his opponents for the party's presidential nomination are even now reluctant to directly take him on. Instead, Trump upended the party and American politics, vanquishing or co-opting most of his critics within the Republican Party. Back then, Republican leaders largely ignored him, figuring he’d fade away. He had no prominent endorsements and so little support among voters that he hired actors to cheer him on in the lobby of Trump Tower. KARL (voice over): It was almost exactly eight years ago that Donald Trump came down that escalator and launched what was widely considered a long shot, even no shot, bid for the presidency.

We begin with the turmoil in the Republican Party where there is little evidence that Trump's support among party leaders or party voters is significantly eroding.

We'll also talk to Asa Hutchinson, one of the few Republican presidential candidates who has said that Donald Trump is unfit for office. We will talk about what that all means for Democrats shortly with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. It's also possible he may win the Republican nomination where, despite it all, he remains the clear front-runner, and maybe even the presidency again. The political world is only beginning to come to terms with what such a campaign will look like, and what it all means for American democracy and the rule of law.ĭonald Trump has said that he will continue to run even if he is convicted of multiple felonies, a real possibility. A campaign where he may very well end up running against the man indicted, prosecuted by his own Justice Department.

This weekend, President Biden held his very first campaign event since announcing he is running for re-election. KARL: Good morning, and welcome to THIS WEEK. ANNOUNCER: From ABC News, it’s THIS WEEK.

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