The former US president could be jailed – but experts say the charges against him could work in his favour (Picture: Getty Images)
Donald Trump faces 37 criminal charges – and he could spend the rest of his life in prison if he’s found guilty.
The former US president is accused of keeping highly sensitive documents, including files about military plans and nuclear programmes, at his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago.
A 37-count indictment was unsealed yesterday and photos showed the 76-year-old stored classified documents in boxes in various rooms at his resort, including in his bedroom, a bathroom and shower.
It’s the second time in a matter of months that charges have been brought against him after thousands of documents were seized by the FBI from his Palm Beach property last year.
And yet despite the legal whirlwind swirling over his head, it could give Trump an even tighter grip on the charge towards another stint in power, according to leading US political experts.
Dr Thomas Gift, director of US politics at University College London, says it will again put Trump ‘in the position of being a martyr’.
He says it will also ‘boost fundraising’ and ‘activate the base’ as Trump aims to fend off challengers to become the Republican nomination to face Joe Biden in the 2024 elections.
Boxes of records were stored in a bathroom and shower in the Lake Room at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida (Picture: AP)
Dr Gift told Metro.co.uk: ‘Politically, it’s hard to see Trump’s indictment not being an unequivocal good for the former president – at least during the Republican primaries.
‘We know that because every time Trump gets enveloped in a legal controversy, his supporters rush to his side, and even his opponents feel forced to defend him.
‘The fact that Joe Biden is also facing a probe into the mishandling of classified documents – but likely won’t face an indictment – only makes Trump’s grievance more powerful.
‘Of course, factually, we shouldn’t conflate the two cases. Trump’s allegedly involves obstruction and willful representation of statements. Biden’s doesn’t.
‘But the parallels are close enough that Trump and his allies will be able to muddy the waters to make it seems like there’s a two-tiered system of justice.’
Documents marked ‘top secret’ were found at Trump’s house (Picture: AP)
Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing after the boxes of documents, including many marked ‘top secret’, were transported to his home when he left office in January 2021.
If convicted, he could be facing 100 years behind bars, but there is still nothing to stop him running for presidency.
He could even theoretically serve as the country’s commander-in-chief while in jail, according to prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
Dr Nigel Bowles, former director of the University of Oxord’s Rothermere American Institute, said it’s unlikely the case will impact Trump’s reputation among his loyal supporters, given how they’ve already backed him through multiple previous controversies.
Political expert Dr Thomas Gift says the indictment will again put Trump ‘in the position of being a martyr’ in the eyes of his fans (Picture: Getty Images)
He told Metro.co.uk: ‘Forecasting the outcome of a court case is impossible. But the charges, the first ever brought by federal authorities against a former president, relate to very serious matters.
‘If found guilty, a custodial sentence is likelier than not.
‘Only about 20% of Republican voters think that the crimes in question are both “serious” and “disqualifying”.
‘If bad and allegedly criminal behaviour were sufficient to destroy Mr Trump’s career, his career would have been fatally wounded at an earlier point.’
But Dr Bowles does believe, however, that any conviction could potentially spell the end of any hopes Trump has of ever becoming the president of the USA again.
He added: ‘It is difficult to imagine that, were the charges in question to be proved and result in a custodial sentence, Mr Trump’s prospects in 2024 would be other than damaged.
‘Whilst there is no constitutional or other legal prohibition on running for the US presidency while serving a sentence for a federal crime, the court of independent voters might take a different view.’
Hoards of boxes were found at Trump’s home after he left office at the White House in 2021 (Picture: AP)
According to the indictment, Trump instructed his aides to move the boxes, which he referred to as his ‘papers’, multiple times.
The Justice Department identified one Trump aide, Walt Nauta, after they noticed him handling the boxes on security camera footage from Mar-a-Lago.
Nauta was charged with an extra count of making false or misleading statements to investigators when questioned about the boxes.
Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said he will be appearing at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday in relation to the charges he faces, which include conspiracy to obstruct justice and a scheme to conceal.
He suggested last night that he was somewhat looking forward to the prospect of a court appearance, writing: ‘SEE YOU IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY!!!’
Earlier this week, it also emerged that Donald Trump is seeking a retrial in the sex abuse case won by E Jean Carroll.
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‘It will again put Trump in the position of being a martyr.’
