As former President Donald Trump (R) faces yet another criminal indictment, the dynamic of the upcoming 2024 Republican presidential primary race continues to change. US Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) however, has only doubled down in his support for the former president, comparing the recent indictments to the actions of a "third-world" country.
Representative Donalds was quick to endorse President Trump in his presidential ambitions, even when it was unclear if formidable challengers like Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) would pose a threat to what appears to be the former president's inevitable nomination. Even when indictments reigned in, Rep. Donalds remained in Trump's corner, calling special counsel Jack Smith a lunatic.
Now, Trump is facing his fourth indictment from Fulton County, Georgia where the former president allegedly attempted to overthrow the 2020 election by pressuring the Georgia state government into "finding" a sufficient amount of votes to win the state in the electoral college. The damning accusations have not shaken the Florida congressman whatsoever.
"He is not fading, I was with him the other day in Iowa. Trust me, he's not fading, he's not going anywhere," Donalds said on KUSI News. "He knows this is bs, the American people know that this is a two tiered system of justice. This is the gross unfairness that we see in third-world countries. This is not the values of the United States of America."
Byron Donalds further called on his fellow Republicans to stand up to the judicial standard that has so far been used against the former president, "It's going to take Republicans to stand up to this because what we want to have is a justice system that holds everybody accountable. If you do wrong, you got to pay the price. That is what our justice system is supposed to do, not weaponizing it against your political rivals."
The term, "banana republic," has been thrown around recently by conservatives, a term that is typically used to describe and mock third-world governments who are dysfunctional in executing basic government duties. Going into this primary season, it seems that the justice system will be a key issue for Republicans to tackle on the debate stage, even those that are not necessarily political allies of Donald Trump.
