The FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home was unprecedented. And as you might expect, it’s fueling a political firestorm. After last night’s search, Trump invited former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who is currently running for Congress, to a rally.
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DONALD TRUMP: Another day in paradise. It was a strange day. You’ve probably all read about it.
SUMMERS: Well, I sure did. NPR Senior Political Editor and Correspondent Domenico Montanaro is here to help us all understand the politics of this search and what it means. Hi Domenico.
DOMENICO MONTANARO, BYLINE: Hi, Juana.
SUMMERS: So searching the home of a president or a former president — that’s a pretty big deal.
MONTANARO: Yes. This is an extraordinary step by the Department of Justice. More explanation of what the FBI was looking for or seizing is probably needed. And we know very little about it. You know, the Trump family says it involved National Archives documents, but we don’t know for sure. Or if they were looking for more, we haven’t seen the warrant.
And you think it’s pretty serious that the judge has a good reason to make this type of order. But we don’t know, and you know — though that doesn’t stop Republicans from jumping to conclusions. They accuse the Department of Justice of playing politics here. You know — and yes, it’s unprecedented, but so is Trump. We have never seen a president do what he has done or tried to do with power.
SUMMERS: Former President Trump is the subject of multiple investigations at both the federal and state levels, but is still signaling strongly that he will run for president again in 2024. What might all this mean for his political future?
MONTANARO: First, as with most things Trump, it’s going to set the bases of both parties on fire. Democrats are happy that Trump is finally getting what they believe he deserves, but Republicans are largely rallying around Trump at a time when Democrats have been gaining momentum of late. And Republicans think that might motivate their voters. For example, today is the primary election. And in Wisconsin, Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate Tim Michels used it to get out the vote. Here’s what he told reporters.
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TIM MICHELS: It’s scary to wake up this morning to find that the government has raided the former president’s house. If they can do it to a former president, they can do it to anyone, and that’s very troubling. What can you do about it today? Today you can go vote and let your voice be heard.
MONTANARO: Trump has built his political brand on grievances and self-victimization. It helps him to motivate voters, to raise money. And Republican strategists expect him to do the same. They believe it will give him a boost just as his once-iron grip on the Republican Party appeared to be loosening after the first round of committee hearings on Jan. 6.
SUMMERS: OK. So their position is that Trump could actually benefit from it. But is there a chance it could actually hurt him?
MONTANARO: You know, I think it really depends on what the FBI was looking for or what they got out of that search, because frankly, Trump has had a string of bad news lately – court losses, more investigations, tarnished image. that the committee of January 6. So it’s possible that when all the dust settles, Republican base voters will think Trump is just too much of a risk. And that’s on top of the fact that if he were to win the presidency in 2024, he’d be 78 years old, politically weaker than a first-term president because he’d only be able to serve one more term.
SUMMERS: We’ve already heard a lot of reaction from elected officials. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy wants to investigate the Justice Department’s moves here. What do you think of the response from the Republican electorate?
MONTANARO: Well, it just goes to show how much Republican elected officials don’t want to upset Trump’s base, regardless of potential wrongdoing. Now, not every Republican is jumping to rally around Trump. Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, for example, issued a statement tonight saying the state deserves a full and immediate explanation of what led to the search, and said Attorney General Garland should have already provided answers and is calling on her to do so. immediately. That’s in line with other more moderate Republicans like Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
Now the house is a completely different story. When the Republicans are there, it’s SLEEP all the time. And you can bet that when they take over the House this fall, they’ll start an investigation after the Biden administration, whether it’s the raid, Hunter Biden’s laptop, or something else. But the reaction of Republicans in general shows again that they are more loyal to Trump than to the main institutions of the United States, which are crucial for democracy.
SUMMERS: NPR’s Domenico Montanaro. Thank you.
MONTANARO: Welcome. Transcription provided by NPR, copyright NPR.
