The accusations seemed weaker than many had anticipated and less significant to some Republicans and Democrats. Others believed that the case could have strategic ramifications.
In a typical presidential primary season, a front-runner being charged with receiving hush money from a porn actress would at the very least give opponents a chance to attack. But one thing was obvious the day after former President Donald J. Trump was charged with 34 felonies: This election year will not be like others.
The unwillingness of Mr. Trump's opponents to the Republican candidature to attack him instead of supporting him highlighted how important the former president is to the G.O.P. His rivals looked to be following the same strategy that a crowded field of candidates for the White House used in 2016, sitting back, taking Mr. Trump's blows, and hoping that outside forces would bring him down.
Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas who on Sunday declared his candidature for the Republican presidential nomination, said of the accusations, "The sad thing is that so many people accept it as part of the character and conduct of the former president." "I don't want to dwell on that from the standpoint of a candidate."
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The political landscape is still unclear, however, as Mr. Trump faces greater legal risk.
The accusations seemed weak to some Republican and Democratic leaders, including past and current elected officials, strategists, and others. They were seen as a jumble of bookkeeping charges that felt much less significant than many had hoped. Others in both parties found the allegations and spectacle upsetting and worried that it could have electoral repercussions for the former president.
The charges will at the very least need to be addressed in court, bringing a sleazy story of extramarital relationships before a party that once regarded itself as the bastion of family values.
Alvin L. Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who is heading the prosecution, and the judge who will oversee may draw ire from Mr. Trump, but the court proceedings and possibly a trial will continue in a way that could be damaging as a Republican race for the White House runs concurrently with them.
Former Wisconsin representative Reid J. Ribble, a Republican opponent of Mr. Trump who has questioned the case, said it was still significant. Who wishes to face criminal charges? The majority of average Americans will never face a misdemeanor prosecution in their lifetime. 30 of them to be added to the charge? It's shocking, and for someone who wants to be the head of the nation, it eliminates me from consideration.
It is undeniable that Mr. Trump's arraignment on charges that he fabricated financial records to conceal payments to the porn actress Stormy Daniels made history. Now that he is running for president for a third time, Mr. Trump is the first previous leader to be charged with a crime.
But neither many voters nor party officials rushed to reject him at the time. Sarah Longwell, a Republican pollster and Trump detractor gathered a focus group of supporters of Mr. Trump in 2016 and 2020 on Friday, the day after the news of his arrest, to inquire about how the charges were impacting their upcoming vote.
The former president received a unanimous yes vote from every voter for the first time since she started putting together such groups for the 2024 election campaign.
In New Hampshire on Wednesday, former Michigan representative Mike Rogers, who is considering a run for the Republican presidential nomination, said: "Sometimes we have to put all of our politics aside and ask, 'Is this the right thing to do for the country?'" This certainly doesn't seem appropriate.
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Even conservative evangelical leaders, who one might expect to view the extramarital affairs detailed in the allegations with suspicion, showed support for Mr. Trump, continuing a pattern of disregarding his personal behavior that can be traced back to their reaction to the "Access Hollywood" tape in 2016. As his wife, Melania Trump, was at home taking care of their infant, Barron, in New York, Ms. Daniels claimed she had intercourse with Mr. Trump in California in 2006.
The Rev. Robert Jeffress, minister of a Texas megachurch, said in his opening prayer at Mr. Trump's campaign rally in Waco last month, "This has already been litigated by evangelicals in 2016 and 2020." Furthermore, I don't believe Christians want to reopen the debate.
When asked if he thought Mr. Trump was telling the truth when he denied having a sexual experience with Ms. Daniels, Mr. Jeffress responded, "That's really between him, Stormy Daniels, and God.
If anything, Mr. Trump's opponents believe that he is currently at his political zenith and that it will pass soon.
"People who don't like where we are and don't trust the government just gave Trump a big old shot in the arm," claimed Katon Dawson, a former South Carolina Republican Party chairman who this year assisted Nikki Haley, Mr. Trump's former ambassador to the UN, in launching her presidential campaign. They are afraid of the injustice that currently appears to be emanating from the judiciary.
Despite receiving the support of a conservative House Republican, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was silent on the issue on Wednesday. DeSantis is generally regarded as Mr. Trump's greatest rival for the Republican presidential nomination. In a text message, Mr. Massie stated that he had chosen not to let Alvin Bragg get in the way and had intended to make the endorsement "without regard to the arraignment."
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