Trump vs. Biden race in 2024 instigated by documents row

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Former US President Donald Trump is very potentially eyeing the White House once again and might try and give President Joe Biden a run for his money in the 2024 presidential elections.

Trump, especially as he is embroiled in various crises, the most recent of which is his hoarding of top secret documents in his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida two years after his term came to a close, is gaining a lot of momentum among the American public.

The FBI raiding Trump's Florida home is allowing the former President to depict himself as a victim and a "martyr", as some have said, which will make his decision to run again in 2024 near certain.

"I believed he was gonna run before - I'm stronger in my belief now," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News.

If Trump takes to campaigning, then so will Biden, as the two rivals seek to go against each other once more with the latter knowing that he would likely be voted in due to many voters choosing him over the Republican simply because they do not want him in office.

If Biden was to run again, he would be the oldest candidate to ever run for office at 81 years old.

"If you think Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns were nasty, you ain't seen nothing," said American University history professor Allan Lichtman, a leading authority on US presidential elections.

Political analysts and practitioners say the FBI raid in Mar-a-Lago could benefit either Democrats or Republicans. But how would that be?

Biden would grossly benefit from the debacle. With the biggest name among the ranks of the Republican Party up against the ropes, the GOP's back is against the wall with many knives drawn, such as attempts at undermining democracy in the United States; fraud, rape, espionage, obstruction of justice, and many other allegations.

Trump, on the other hand, is at the top of every news page and every social media platform, dominating the national psyche and rallying his fanbase around him. They are defending him against everything being thrown his way, with many calling for reversing constitutional laws and even "defunding the FBI."

The espionage act was abused from the beginning to jail dissenters of WWI. It is long past time to repeal this egregious affront to the 1st Amendment.

Repeal the Espionage Act – The Future of Freedom Foundation https://t.co/3KCgujpS9z

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 13, 2022

DEFUND THE FBI!

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) August 9, 2022

His frantic fans are even rallying for a civil war and calling to arms, which is not a precedent for them, taking the January 6 attack into account. 

Trump is facing a criminal investigation over potential violations of the Espionage Act and additional statutes relating to obstruction of justice, as well as the destruction of federal government records, according to the search warrant executed by FBI agents at the former President’s home on Monday.

The search warrant shows that the federal investigation agency was after evidence that would convict Trump of mishandling classified documents, including several that were marked "top secret", which would have constituted a violation of three criminal statutes.

The search warrant authorized FBI agents to seize materials from Trump's Mar-a-Lago home to probe him for potentially violating the Espionage Act outlawing unauthorized retention of national security information that could "harm the United States or aid an adversary."

"Donald Trump has more than $100 million in his political war chest. But he has something even more valuable - an active FBI investigation against him," wrote Richard Lowry, editor of the conservative magazine National Review.

"It has put him front-and-center again. It has made it easy for him to portray himself as an embattled victim," he said, noting how Trump is using what many would perceive as a political crisis that could end their career to grab the attention of millions and use it as a political rowing paddle to push him further down the stream.

Biden backs himself against Trump. "In the next election, I'd be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me," Biden said in March.

A July poll conducted by NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ found that 60% said Biden shouldn't run in 2024 and 57% said the same of Trump.

Though Biden remains deeply unpopular among the US public, with a sinking approval rating of around 40%, the White House's improved record and as the public is raging against the Supre Court's overturning of Roe V. Wade, advisors are highly optimistic regarding Biden's run against Trump.

Additionally, Trump is the most likely candidate to win in the Republican Primary, as he is not only the biggest name, but his political footprint among his GOP allies is the biggest by far, and it would be very difficult to see anyone even coming close to beating him.

Days after the FBI raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, Florida, the contents of the search warrant were made public. They took 11 boxes worth of papers, including data deemed to be so secret that they could not be stated individually in the "receipt" of what was taken.

A day earlier, US Attorney General Merrick Garland said he "personally approved" the FBI raid on former US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

Trump later on, with a copy of the search warrant in his possession while declining to reveal its contents, said he would not oppose the unsealing of the warrant.

Trump reiterated his claim that the search was an "unprecedented political weaponization of law enforcement," which was later called out by Andrew Weissman, a former Justice Department official. He said Garland had "called Trump's bluff" by making it his responsibility to object or consent to the release of the document.