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Trump indictment: The most noteworthy reactions so far

Reaction to the indictment of the former president by a Manhattan grand jury came in from all corners.

Updated
12 min read

Outrageous or long overdue, constitutional malpractice or the epitome of "karma": One thing that seemed to unite Americans this week was that nearly everyone had an opinion on the indictment of former President Donald Trump by a Manhattan grand jury.

New York newspapers are displayed at a newsstand
New York newspapers are displayed at a newsstand on March 31. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

While the specific charges against Trump will likely remain sealed until he is arraigned in New York next Tuesday, that hasn't stopped the tidal wave of hot takes from U.S. politicians, cable news pundits, world leaders, celebrities and ordinary citizens from weighing in on whether Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was right to press ahead with a criminal case against the 45th president.

Here's a rundown of some of the most noteworthy responses so far.

Former President Donald Trump

A New York Times is displayed at a newsstand following former President Donald Trump's indictment by a Manhattan grand jury on March 30.
A New York Times is displayed at a newsstand following former President Donald Trump's indictment by a Manhattan grand jury on March 30. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

The man at the center of the storm has had no shortage of words about being charged with at least one felony. While he has used the grand jury indictment to raise money and fired off several angry messages on his social media platform, Truth Social, one posted Friday employed a dubious legal strategy of attacking the judge who will preside over the case against him in New York.

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"The Judge 'assigned' to my Witch Hunt Case, a 'Case' that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME. His name is Juan Manuel Marchan, was hand picked by Bragg & the Prosecutors, & is the same person who 'railroaded' my 75 year old former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to take a 'plea' deal (Plead GUILTY, even if you are not, 90 DAYS, fight us in Court, 10 years (life!) in jail," Trump wrote. "He strong armed Allen, which a judge is not allowed to do, & treated my companies, which didn't 'plead,' VICIOUSLY. APPEALING!"

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., listens during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in February.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., listens during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in February. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

One of Trump's staunchest supporters, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is considered a frontrunner to be named the former president's running mate in 2024. Greene declared Friday that she was heading to New York on Tuesday to exercise her constitutional right to protest the indictment that she considers "unconstitutional."

Former Vice President Mike Pence

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the National Review Ideas Summit on March 31 in Washington, D.C.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the National Review Ideas Summit on March 31 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Former Vice President Mike Pence appeared for an interview with CNN shortly after the indictment was announced and walked a fine line when asked about it.

"I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance charge is an outrage," Pence said Wednesday night on CNN. But pressed by anchor Wolf Blitzer on whether Trump should continue running for president if he’s convicted on those charges, Pence deflected.

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“It’s a long way to that decision, I promise to answer that question if that approaches,” he replied.

Stormy Daniels

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels attends a book signing for her memoir
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels attends a book signing for her memoir "Full Disclosure" at the Museum of Sex in 2018. (Charles Sykes/AP/Invision)

The recipient of a $130,000 hush money payment from Trump in the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign, porn actress Stormy Daniels has long maintained that she had extramarital sex with him. The payment, which was made to Daniels by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen through a shell company, is alleged to have violated campaign finance laws. Daniels has long drawn the ire of Trump supporters, and on Thursday she once again seemed to revel in the attention directed her way on social media.

Michael Cohen

Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen smiles as he arrives for a second day of testimony before a grand jury on March 15 in New York City.
Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen smiles as he arrives for a second day of testimony before a grand jury on March 15 in New York City. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

One of Bragg's key witnesses, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, was convicted of tax evasion, making false statements to a federally insured bank and campaign finance violations in service of Trump and his businesses. The relationship between Trump and Cohen nose-dived following Cohen's 2018 indictment, and Cohen later accused Trump of letting him take the fall for crimes Trump directed. On Friday, Cohen made clear that he believed vengeance would soon be his.

"I want to thank the Manhattan district attorney's office, and their fearless leader Alvin Bragg, with whom I spent countless hours laying out how Trump directed those hush money payments and countless other financial crimes," Cohen said Friday on his podcast. "He is about to get a taste of what I went through and I promise you it's not fun."

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears up her copy of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in 2020.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears up her copy of President Donald Trump's State of the Union address after he delivered it to a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in 2020. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has never hidden her dislike of Trump and on Thursday she released a statement that avoided using his name altogether.

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"The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law. No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence," Pelosi wrote. "Hopefully, the former president will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right."

Several legal commentators noted that Pelosi had shifted the "presumption of innocence" for defendants in criminal cases to "the right to a trial to prove innocence," an altogether different standard.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington. D.C., on March 24.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington. D.C., on March 24. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy issued his own controversial statement Thursday about Trump's indictment. In it, he accused Bragg of "routinely" freeing "violent criminals to terrorize the public," adding that the Manhattan district attorney had "weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump."

While McCarthy vowed to hold Bragg accountable in the House, the odds of that actually happening are slim, experts say.

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., looks at his notes during the weekly Democratic Party caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 28.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., looks at his notes during the weekly Democratic Party caucus luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 28. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

A more measured response came from Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who issued a statement Thursday night on the indictment.

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"Mr. Trump is subject to the same laws as every American. He will be able to avail himself of the legal system and a jury, not politics, to determine his fate according to the facts and the law," Schumer said in his statement. "There should be no outside political influence, intimidation or interference in the case. I encourage both Mr. Trump's critics and supporters to let the process proceed peacefully and according to the law."

Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., listens to his Republican colleagues.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., listens to his Republican colleagues during the weekly Republican press conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 7. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

The initial hours following Trump's indictment were marked by a deafening silence from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Unlike McCarthy, Schumer and Pelosi, he kept his cards very close to his vest.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd at an Adventure Outdoors gun store on March 30 in Smyrna, Ga.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd at an Adventure Outdoors gun store on March 30 in Smyrna, Ga. (John Bazemore/AP)

Trump's chief political rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, outraged Trumpworld for his initial response to speculation over the former president's possible indictment.

"I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just — I can't speak to that," DeSantis at a press conference last week.

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On Thursday, he seemed to offer more support to Trump, however, tweeting that "Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda."

Extradition will not likely be necessary, however, as Trump's lawyers have indicated that he will turn himself in to the district attorney in New York on Tuesday.

George Soros

George Soros, the founder and chairman of the Open Society Foundations, attends the Joseph A. Schumpeter award ceremony in Vienna, Austria, in 2019.
George Soros, the founder and chairman of the Open Society Foundations, attends the Joseph A. Schumpeter award ceremony in Vienna, Austria, in 2019. (Ronald Zak/AP)

A central talking point for Trump and his supporters is Bragg's relationship with billionaire philanthropist George Soros. While Soros backed a political action committee that donated to Bragg's campaign, his portrayal as the puppet master who controls every decision Bragg makes lacks any actual evidence. On Friday, Semafor journalist Steve Clemons reached out to Soros for his take on the Trump indictment.

His response was as follows:

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"Steve, I wrote this piece in the Wall Street Journal. Anyone who wants to understand why I've donated to reform-minded prosecutors should read it. As for Alvin Bragg, as a matter of fact I did not contribute to his campaign and I don't know him. I think some on the right would rather focus on far-fetched conspiracy theories than on serious charges against the former president."

El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele

Nayib Bukele being interviewed in San Salvador, El Salvador, in 2019.
Nayib Bukele being interviewed in San Salvador, El Salvador, in 2019. (Moises Castillo/AP)

Few foreign leaders rushed to offer their initial opinions on the legal proceedings involving Trump, but El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele was an exception.

Central Park Five member Yusef Salaam

Yusef Salaam arrives at the Hollywood screening of the movie about his case,
Yusef Salaam arrives at the Hollywood screening of the movie about his case, "The Central Park Five," in Los Angeles in 2012. (Gus Ruelas/Reuters)

A notable reaction to the news of Trump’s indictment came from Yusef Salaam, who was charged, convicted and later exonerated in the 1989 rape case involving a female jogger in Central Park.

Salaam issued a one-word statement Thursday regarding Trump’s indictment: “Karma.”

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As the case first made headlines in New York, Trump called for the death penalty for the suspects, including Salaam, none of whom were guilty of committing the crime.

DNA analysis was later used to convict Matias Reyes of the brutal rape of the woman. As president, Trump refused to apologize to the men who were exonerated.

John Cusack

Actor John Cusack poses during a photo-call to promote the movie
Actor John Cusack poses during a photo-call to promote the movie "Chi-Raq" in Berlin, Germany, in 2016. (Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

Actor John Cusack celebrated Trump's indictment and pointed to the news Thursday that convicted former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg had decided to change lawyers as another ominous sign for the former president.

Glenn Beck

Television personality Glenn Beck speaks during the Politicon convention in Pasadena, Calif., in 2016.
Television personality Glenn Beck speaks during the Politicon convention in Pasadena, Calif., in 2016. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters)

Fox News host Tucker Carlson spent Thursday's broadcast exhorting his viewers to protest Bragg's indictment of Trump, claiming that it was designed to force Trump from the 2024 race. While other guests offered similarly dour assessments of the state of the country due to the historic indictment, none of them were quite as remarkable as right-wing talk show host Glenn Beck.

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"By 2025, we are going to be at war. We are going to have a new dollar, a currency that probably is coming from the central bank. We'll have a currency collapse, and we will live in a virtual police state," Beck told Carlson. "I know that might sound crazy to a lot of people. It's not far off. The Bill of Rights is gone. Nobody is paying attention."

Author ZZ Packer

Author ZZ Packer
Author ZZ Packer (Courtesy of ZZ Packer)

While much of the response to Thursday's grand jury indictment took an ominous tone, short story writer and essayist ZZ Packer offered a comical retort to a warning from Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri.

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