GOP candidates throw jabs at Trump over pending indictments

(NewsNation) — As the 2024 presidential race heats up, the crowded GOP field is taking jabs at the leading Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump.

Trump is currently facing fresh charges over his handling of classified materials and a possible third indictment against him is expected surrounding his efforts to remain in office.

Despite these mounting legal troubles, his campaign continues forward.

But some of Trump’s Republican opponents argue it is bad politics for the GOP.

“Donald Trump is running to stay out of prison,” former Texas Rep. Will Hurd said. “If we elect Donald Trump, we are willingly giving Joe Biden four more years in the White House and America can’t handle that.”

Presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson also raised concerns over the direction of the party.

“As it stands right now, you will be voting in Iowa while multiple criminal cases are pending against former President Trump. Iowa has an opportunity to say we, as a party, we need a new direction for America and for the GOP,” Hutchinson said.

Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate gaining traction with Republicans, spoke with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo about the criminal charges Trump is facing.

“The facts are deeply politicized,” Ramaswamy said. “I think this sets an awful precedent in our country. I do not want to see the United States of America become some banana republic where the party in power gets a precedent now of using police force to indict its political opponents in the middle of an election.”

Trump posted to Truth Social Saturday, questioning the timing of the indictments and calling it “election interference.”

2024 presidential candidates are also targeting age in Washington, D.C., after Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to have a public health-related incident earlier this week.

“That’s why we have to have term limits in D.C. Once and for all. And if this week didn’t prove it to you, we’ve got to have mental competency test for anyone over the age of 75, that’s not being disrespectful. These are people who are making decisions on our national security, they’re making decisions on our economic policy,” former UN ambassador Nikki Haley said.

But at 80 years old, President Joe Biden has said he is fit for another term.

Despite the war of words and finger-pointing, Trump continues to pull further ahead from other GOP contenders, now at 55%, according to the newest polling from The Economist and YouGov.

In the same poll, when asked if they wanted the two frontrunners from both parties to run again, nearly 60% of voters said no to both.