Donald Trump supporters could riot like the storming of the Capitol if the former US President is arrested, an analyst has told Express.co.uk. Over the weekend, Trump claimed he would be charged for alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert believes the US is on the brink of more violent demonstrations as a result.
Referring to the Republican’s 2024 White House bid, he told Express.co.uk: “Trump getting indicted will be the greatest adrenaline shot to his campaign imaginable.
“Trump has already called for protests if he is placed in handcuffs – which is precisely what the Democrats want: an image of the former president, who is again running for the highest office in the land, in cuffs. This will galvanize their base.
“It will also, however, militate the Republican base for Trump. Depending on what happens at trial, yes, the president’s supporters could riot as they did on 1/6. The indictments will only make Trump’s appeal to the GOP base stronger.”
Trump, 76, is currently the Republican frontrunner for the Oval Office and is far from discouraged by the series of allegations launched against him.
On Saturday, he claimed an arrest was imminent on his Truth Social page, raging against “illegal leaks from a corrupt & highly political Manhattan District Attorney’s office”.
His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, also said he believed an indictment is “imminent” over alleged payments of $130,000 (£100,000) to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
His supporters stormed Congress on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to thwart the certification of current President Joe Biden’s election win.
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A Democratic-led inquiry into the riots attempted to show that Trump, who blamed his loss on election fraud, conspired to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.
The day of rioting was brutal and destructive. More than 2,000 rioters entered the building, with many vandalising and looting the historic monument in Washington DC. At least 250 rioters were suspected of attacking police officers.
Despite no evidence of election fraud and a host of allegations coming his way, it appears Trump’s loyal fanbase is still just as supportive of the Republican candidate. This could be concerning for his main rival in the Republican Party – Ron DeSantis.
Mr Weichert, author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, added: “Unless Ron DeSantis can actually figure out how to get some hits on Trump soon, the nomination will go to Trump.
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“And then he will likely lose to Biden as he did in 2020. But it will be a raucous and likely at times violent affair until election day.”
The analyst said one only needs to go back into the history books to see a worrying pattern emerging.
“People forget the importance of one man for history,” he said. “It was the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency more than anything else that was the immediate spark for the American Civil War.
“Had another candidate won, it is likely that the Civil War would have at least been deferred a while longer. Because Lincoln was so hated in the South, the secession happened and the war erupted.
“Trump’s presence as a national candidate again risks the advent of civil conflict in the United States for the first time since the Civil War. And Biden and the Democrats want to raise that risk in order to delegitimize the GOP in the eyes of independent and moderate voters so as to ensure that Republicans can never win majorities again. Both sides are playing with fire.”
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