- Trump said Republicans could pick up "many" seats in Congress over the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago.
- On his Truth Social platform, Trump characterized the FBI search as an "unannounced Break In."
- Many Republicans have leapt to Trump's defense, while others have stressed the need for transparency.
Former President Donald Trump on Monday said that last week's FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago residence would boost Republican candidates across the country as the party aims to regain control of Congress this fall.
Trump on his social media platform Truth Social opined that the raid strengthened his standing among core Republican base voters, a group that had already been largely supportive of the former president.
"Republicans could win many additional seats, both in the House & Senate, because of the strong backlash over the raid at Mat-a-Lago," he wrote. "Polls are showing that some lost Republican territory over the last number of weeks has been more than made up with the unannounced Break In by the FBI, which should never have happened!"
The comments come as Trump continues a float a 2024 presidential campaign, which could pit him against potential GOP candidates including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
In a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted after the August 8 raid, 57% of respondents said they would back Trump in a 2024 GOP presidential primary, compared to DeSantis with 17% support.
Pence, who served as Trump's No. 2, had the next best showing at 8% support.
The showing marks an improvement in Trump's standing from a mid-July POLITICO/Morning Consult survey, which showed Trump leading with 53% support and DeSantis in second-place with 23% support.
Trump, similar to his days in the White House, has continued to endorse federal candidates in races across the country, boosting political upstarts like Arizona Senate nominee Blake Masters and former television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, but also coming up short in some non-congressional races — as he failed to oust Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Wisconsin state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos after backing their opponents.
While many Republicans quickly leapt to Trump's defense after the search, some — like Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland — have called for transparency while also relaying no one individual is "above the law."
Last week's release of the FBI search warrant and property list reveals that agents were looking for documents connected to potential violations of the Espionage Act, which bars the unauthorized removal of defense-related information that could aid a foreign government.
Trump is also being investigated for potential obstruction of justice violations.
The warrant was unsealed after the Department of Justice pushed for its public release amid political attacks calling into question the integrity of the department from Trump and many of his allies.
The former president has blasted the probe and denied reports that he was in possession of classified documents related to nuclear weapons, calling it a "hoax."
