Team Trump 'bullish' about exploiting FBI search to win reelection: report

While some supporters of Donald Trump called for defunding law enforcement or even waging civil war following Monday's FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, both backers and critics of the former U.S. president believe the raid could actually boost his reelection prospects.

Former Trump aide Alyssa Farah Griffin—who now condemns her former boss' purveyance of the deadly "Big Lie" that the 2020 presidential election was stolen—said Tuesday on CNN's "New Day" that the U.S. Justice Department may have "just handed Trump" the 2024 Republican nomination "or potentially the presidency."

"If it's seen as some sort of massive overreach and not something incredibly serious this is a very good day for Donald Trump," she added.

Politico's Meridith McGraw writes:

While Trump's team was bullish about the political benefits of being targeted by the FBI, the situation comes with clear and obvious downsides. Legal experts said that it would be highly unlikely that the agency would have taken such action without clear evidence of wrongdoing—noting the rarity of a former president being targeted so aggressively. The search would require the signoff of a federal judge or magistrate, who would issue the warrant based upon evidence of a potential crime.

On top of that, Trump is embroiled in a number of legal dramas and headaches, in addition to being the focus and target of the House January 6 committee. Focus groups of Trump 2020 voters have shown that even they have grown wary of the drama that accompanies his political ventures and are ready to move on.

Appearing alongside Farah Griffin on CNN Tuesday morning, Trump biographer Michael D'Antonio said he thinks Trump's inner circle is "delighted" by Monday's search of the ex-president's Palm Beach home.

"I think that they've been planning for this for years," he added. "He's been prepared for this strategy all along. He issued a campaign-style ad within hours. This was prepared in advance. He's an expert of spinning everything into publicity... and that hardcore Trump group, that 35% of the electorate, is gonna be electrified by this."