On Thursday, the Manhattan district attorney indicted former president Donald Trump on the charge that he used his wealth to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels after she had accused him of having an affair with her.

The charges were brought forward by district attorney Alvin L. Bragg following a several year long investigation into the former president’s actions. It is the first case in history that a former president has been charged with a crime.

Daniels first went public with the story of her affair with Trump in 2016, when Trump was hot on the campaign trail. Investigators believe that to prevent her from going public with the story, which if widely known could have threatened Trump’s campaign, Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen used campaign money to buy her silence. In total, $130,000 was paid to Daniels to keep the story from going public, with the last payment being made in October of 2016

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to using said campaign finances. While in court, Cohen shifted the blame onto his boss, claiming that Trump was the one who ordered him to make payments to Daniels.

The district attorneys agreed, and Cohen’s guilty plea brought attention toward Trump. The multi-year investigation following led to this week’s indictment of Trump.

What does Donald Trump being indicted mean? In simple terms, indictment is when someone is formally accused of a crime. Trump’s indictment charge includes 30 counts related to business fraud, which include the situation involving Daniels. Further details on the charges are yet to be made public.

More will be known on Tuesday, when the former president is expected to voluntarily surrender and appear in court in New York. According to one of Trump’s lawyers, Susan Necheles, Trump has agreed to appear in court. Trump will be accompanied by one of his Secret Service agents throughout the trial.

Considering the polarized political climate of the United States, opinions on Trump’s indictment vary. Democrats claim that no one is above the law, and that the legal system has every right to investigate and charge the former president.

As former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi put it on Twitter, “The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law.”

On the Republican side, opinions are strongly in favor of defending Trump. Trump himself has made a lengthy post on Truth Social, declaring his indictment to be an attack on the United States as a whole.

Supporters of the former president have taken a similar stance, believing the indictment to be politically motivated. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running against Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination, made an attack against district attorney Bragg, claiming that he was using the legal system to advance a political agenda.

One question a lot of people have is whether Trump will face prison time or not. While it is still too early to tell, what is true is that Trump’s case will be a first for the United States. Because presidents keep their Secret Service protection for life, it is unlikely that Trump will be treated the same as a common prisoner throughout the lengthy process.

What many are also asking is if Trump will be able to run for president in 2024. Even if Trump is convicted, he will still be able to run for president. While the case is certainly a first in United States history, it does not bar Trump from being elected as president.

Some of the former presidents advisers believe that this case can even help Trump’s chances, as it shines the spotlight back on him and can be used to fire up his supporters.

While Trump may be able to use his indictment to drum up his most ardent support base, that may not be enough to help his chances in the 2024 presidential election.

According to political science professor Alison Dagnes, “The Republican party cannot bang the drum about their accomplishments. Instead, they must talk about Trump. It reminds everybody about what a chaos candidate Trump is.” 

Dagnes also believes that this is only the beginning of the former president’s legal woes.

“He is going to drag the process out as long as possible,” she said. “For sure, there are more indictments coming in.”

More will be known on Tuesday when Trump appears in court in New York. A rundown of everything the former president is being charged with will be made public.

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