ROCHESTER, New Hampshire — Multiple New Hampshire supporters of former President Donald Trump told the Daily Caller News Foundation at his campaign event on Sunday that they will support his White House bid despite the charges against him.
The former president is facing four criminal indictments as he runs for a second term, some of which he’ll have to go to trial for ahead of a potential rematch with President Joe Biden in November. Voters bashed the indictments during a Trump campaign event in Rochester, New Hampshire, two days before they take to the polls in the first-in-the-nation primary and told the DCNF that they would back the former president regardless of a potential conviction.
One Trump-supporting woman told the DCNF that she would “absolutely” support the former president if he were convicted before the general election.
“I believe all the charges are false,” she said.
Bill and Josh, two event attendees who are also backing Trump for president, said they’ll support the former president no matter what.
“He could do anything — I’m voting for him,” Bill told the DCNF, adding that the charges were “fake indictments.”
“100%, all the way,” Josh said.
One Trump-supporting couple also said such a conviction wouldn’t change their minds.
“Doesn’t matter, regardless,” the man told the DCNF. “It seems like there’s two rules of law when it comes to him versus what you see going on in the Biden camp.”
Phillip and Derrick, two brothers who are supporting the former president, also said nothing would sway their vote.
“Those [indictments] are jokes, no one gives a shit about ’em,” Phillip told the DCNF.
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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg handed down the first indictment in late March 2023, alleging that the former president falsified business records when reimbursing an alleged hush-money payment to porn star actress Stormy Daniels.
Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump in early June for allegedly mishandling classified documents. Two months later, Smith issued another indictment against the former president, this time for alleged interference in the 2020 election and alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Most recently, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicted Trump over alleged interference in Georgia’s 2020 election. Willis has since been hit with corruption allegations over the potential misuse of public funds when she hired her alleged lover as a special prosecutor on the Trump case.
Denise, a New Hampshire voter who attended the Trump event but said she’s still undecided on who to support in the primary, told the DCNF she’d likely vote for Trump over Biden, even if he’s convicted.
“I mean, you know what they say about the lesser of two evils?” Denise said. “I don’t know that the whole court cases isn’t in some part a witch hunt. I mean, not to say that I think Trump’s an amazing human being, but I think that he’s vilified a lot.”
The federal election interference trial is set for March 4, and Bragg’s case against Trump is scheduled for a March 25 trial. Smith’s classified documents case is scheduled to go to trial on May 20, and Willis has been pushing for an Aug. 5 date for the Georgia case.
Support for the former president in the Republican primary has only increased since the first indictment was issued last year, according to the RealClearPolitics average. The race has narrowed down to just Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who he is leading by 15 points in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday’s primary.
The former president overwhelmingly won the Iowa caucus on Monday with 51% support, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 21.2%, Haley at 19.1% and conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 7.7%. DeSantis and Ramaswamy have since dropped out, and they both threw their support behind Trump.
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Mary Lou Masters on January 21, 2024
