Donald Trump May Live to Regret Burning GOP Bridges

Donald Trump cannot have too many complaints that he has not received unbridled support amid an apparent upcoming arrest from two Republican figures in particular.

Over the weekend, the former president made an uncorroborated claim that he will be arrested on Tuesday as part of the Manhattan District Attorney's office's investigation into hush money paid to adult film state Stormy Daniels.

It has since been reported that should an indictment be announced by a grand jury, an arraignment or arrest may not arrive until next week. Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina told Newsweek next week "looks like the way it will be" with regards to a potential arraignment.

In response to the original claim, a number of MAGA Republicans and Trump loyalists spoke out against the apparently looming indictment Trump is facing. Notably, even figures such as former Vice President Mike Pence, a potential 2024 GOP presidential primary rival whose relationship with Trump fell apart in the wake of the January 6 attack, spoke against the investigation amid reports of upcoming arraignment.

However, two figures who have largely abstained from defending Trump are fellow confirmed 2024 hopeful, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, and the person widely thought to be the biggest challenger to Trump for the GOP presidential candidacy, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Both Republicans have come under constant attacks from the former president in recent weeks and months.

DeSantis, who has yet to confirm his 2024 campaign but is widely expected to do so, did not make any public statements or social media posts discussing Trump's potential arrest over the weekend and appeared to relish the legal predicament his one-time close rival is currently in when he eventually broke his silence on Monday.

"I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair," DeSantis told reporters at an event in Panama City, Florida, promoting some laughter from the crowd. "I just, I can't speak to that."

Rather than outright defend Trump outright, DeSantis instead attacked Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, including repeating what critics often accuse of being an anti-Semitic dog whistle by linking the prosecutor to the Jewish billionaire philanthropist George Soros.

"But I do know this: The Manhattan district attorney is a Soros-funded prosecutor," DeSantis said. "And so he, like other Soros-funded prosecutors, they weaponize their office to impose a political agenda on society at the expense of the rule of law and public safety."

Soros, who made an indirect financial donation to Bragg during the D.A.'s 2021 election campaign, is often the target of Republican attacks and conspiracy theories over his frequent donations to Democratic and liberal causes. Trump himself has frequently used Soros' name to attack Bragg amid the hush money payment investigation.

Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, was also quiet on the issue of a possible indictment of the former president for the first couple of days and mainly attacked Bragg's office when she finally did speak out.

"Right now, it's rumor. And I certainly hope it's not the case. I guess we will find out tomorrow," Haley told Fox News' Special Report on Monday.

"But from everything I have seen from this New York district attorney is that this would be something he'd be doing for political points. And I think what we know is, when you get into political prosecutions like this, it's more about revenge than it is about justice."

Michael Binder, professor of political science at the University of North Florida, said that DeSantis and Haley made the correct decision in shying away from defending Trump too much as they wait for a possible historic arrest.

"I know there's debate around the political ramifications of a Trump indictment, but as a primary candidate, having your opponent get indicted is a gift," Binder told Newsweek. "Get out of the way, keep your mouth shut and let them deal with that.

"That said, I really don't think it matters a great deal what DeSantis and Haley say or don't say. Having obvious interests in both Trump's demise and potentially gobbling up his supporters taints anything they say," Binder added.

In an ideal world, Trump would have wanted unanimous support from the GOP ahead of his potential arrest. However, it seems like the constant attacks Trump has given out to Haley and DeSantis in order to boost his own 2024 bid appear to have backfired.

Shortly after confirming her 2024 campaign, Trump mocked Haley for her low polling numbers while also pointing to her previous comments stating that she would not run for the White House if Trump also was.

"I told Nikki to follow her heart, not her ambition or belief," Trump posted on Truth Social on February 15. "Who knows, stranger things have happened. She's polling at 1%, not a bad start!!!"

It is for DeSantis, who many consider the ideal replacement for Trump heading into 2024, that the former president has delivered the most insults for recently.

As well as frequently sharing polls which show Trump heavily beating DeSantis in hypothetical GOP primaries, the former president has also attacked the Florida Governor for apparently wanting to cut medicare and social security, given him the nickname "Ron DeSanctimonious," and even shared a social media post that insinuated DeSantis groomed teenage girls when he was a teacher.

Trump reverted back to the line of attack that DeSantis allegedly drank with underage girls when he was a teacher on Monday while hitting back at the Florida Governor's remarks about his potential indictment.

"Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when he's unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are 'underage' (or possibly a man!)," Trump wrote. "I'm sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do!"