How will the impeachment of Trump affect his chances for 2024?

As news of Donald Trump’s federal indictment in the classified documents case sent shockwaves through the United States, the fate of his 2024 White House run was thrown into question.

The rebellious former president has said he will not back down and has instead pushed into the “corrupt” Biden administration and the “armed” Justice Department, claiming the cases against him are election interference.

He will now split his time between the courtroom and the campaign trail as he attempts to seal the GOP nomination while facing seven federal charges, including obstruction of justice and a violation of the Espionage Act.

And experts have differing opinions on whether this will hurt or boost his bid to be in the Oval Office for a second time. The criminal cases and investigations into him have not slowed him down so far – and this is unlikely to change in the near future.

A Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted last month found that six in 10 Americans believe they should be removed from office if convicted of a crime.

Yet he will still be able to run for president — and serve in the White House — if he is ultimately found guilty.

He has also maintained a two-digit lead over closest rival Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary in most polls.

Strategists have spoken to DailyMail.com and offered their thoughts on how the second indictment will affect Trump’s campaign and how voters will react.

Will his opponents attack him? Will they make it clear to Americans that Trump is not the man of the Republican Party? Will he lose more independent voters?

There’s also a chance it could embolden Trump and make support among his staunch MAGA base even stronger.

John Feehery, a former top Republican aide who now runs EFB Advocacy, told DailyMail.com, “This will help Trump raise at least five million. There’s nothing like making him a martyr.

“The idea that he would be charged with doing much the same as Pence and Biden just shows how corrupt our justice system has become.”

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace echoed this sentiment Thursday night by saying Biden’s Justice Department had secured Trump’s nomination with their unprecedented move.

Republican strategist Doug Heye told DailyMail.com that the impact Trump’s second indictment will have on the race will depend on what his challengers say.

“A second indictment gives them (his rivals) a very clear chance to say that Trump needs to step aside or there is just too much drama and the Republicans need someone who is focused solely on beating Joe Biden.

‘But will they?

This will seriously damage Trump’s chances in the general election with independent voters.

“So the Republicans running against Trump need to make sure he’s not the focus, and that he can’t win either way.”

Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, who is trailing less than 1 percent in the 2024 Republican polls, jumped on the news and said Trump should drop out.

“With the news that Donald Trump has been indicted for a second time, our country is in a position that weakens our democracy,” Hutchinson said in a statement. Donald Trump’s actions — from his willful disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law — should not define our nation or the Republican Party.

“This is a sad day for our country. While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction. This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign

Max Burns, founder and chief strategist at Third Degree Strategies, told DailyMail.com, “Trump is now adding at least seven felony charges to the 34 he already faces, with several more investigations pending.

Trump now faces the reality that he will spend more time in courtrooms than on the campaign trail over the next year. That alone should be of deep concern to Americans.

Rutgers University presidential historian David Greenberg told DailyMail.com, “If the past is any guide, it seems unlikely it will hurt him with Republican primary voters.

But depending on how the process plays out, it’s not hard to imagine swing voters — especially people who aren’t in love with Joe Biden — developing new doubts about voting for Trump in the general election.

“This is in no way a death knell for his candidacy, but Trump and his circle can’t be very happy about this news either.”

The 76-year-old said Thursday he was told he was being charged with espionage — the first time in US history a former president has faced federal charges.

According to his lawyers, Trump faces four separate charges, each carrying a potential 20-year prison sentence: conspiracy to obstruct justice; withholding any document or record; corruptly concealing any document or record; and hiding a document in a federal investigation.

One count carries a 10-year prison sentence: deliberately withholding national defense information.

And the last two counts each have a maximum of five years: plan to conceal and misrepresentations and misrepresentations. Trump’s indictment remains classified, but his decision to make it public means the FBI could open it as early as Friday, ahead of next Tuesday’s Miami court hearing.

The news drew outrage from the Republican party, with even his 2024 rival Ron DeSantis declaring that “the arming of federal law enforcement poses a deadly threat to a free society.”

DeSantis declined to say whether he would pardon his rival if Trump were convicted, despite calls for Florida’s governor to commit.

Trump himself — who was in Bedminster, New Jersey when the news broke — denounced the charges in a clip The New York Times said was pre-recorded, saying it was political persecution, saying: “I am innocent.’