Why a Trump indictment would have huge political and national implications

But the ex-president launched a characteristic effort to discredit attempts to call him to account, trying to intimidate prosecutors, mobilize his grassroots supporters and pressure top GOP officials to rally to his side. Every American has a constitutional right to political self-expression, but the ex-president’s call this weekend for his loyalists — “Protest, take our nation back” — struck an ominous tone since he showed on January 6, 2021, that he was willing to incite violence to further his interests.