The former president’s children have shown a mix of reactions to his latest indictment, from staunch support to silence.
As Donald Trump is now facing a third criminal indictment—three more than any former president in U.S. history—there has been a mix of reactions from his children.
While his two eldest sons, who have been staunch advocates of his following his term in the White House, have criticized the latest announcement, co-opting familiar sentiments from Trump himself, his other children have remained silent.
The former president was charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday on four counts— including conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights—over his alleged involvement in a fraudulent attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
DOJ special counsel Jack Smith, whose office led the investigation, accused Trump in a news conference of «lies» that were «targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.»
The Republican frontrunner for the 2024 nomination has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 presidential election was subject to widespread fraud, though no evidence has been found to support his assertions.
Trump has continuously railed against the investigation and Smith and has described the cases against him as being politically motivated. In a Truth Social media post on Tuesday night, he asked rhetorically why the case had not been brought sooner, before answering: «They wanted it right in the middle of my campaign, that’s why!»
In a statement, the Trump campaign accused the DOJ of election interference by announcing the charges during his 2024 presidential bid, and compared the «lawlessness of these persecutions» to Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. It added: «Trump will not be deterred by disgraceful and unprecedented political targeting!»
The Republican presidential primary candidate is already facing a criminal case in New York relating to allegations of hush-money payments in the lead-up to the 2016 election; and another in Florida over charges of mishandling classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence last summer, following another investigation led by Smith.
