Take a sigh of relief: Donald Trump has just become the first former president indicted with a crime. While we celebrate, however, it is crucial to remain wary of potential violence from his supporters. 

Trump’s indictment last Thursday by a New York grand jury is still under seal, but as CNN reported, the former president is facing 34 counts of business fraud. The indictment follows a Manhattan investigation into hush money paid by the Trump Organization to cover up a sexual affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. 

Yet while it seems karma has come at last, Trump has a non-existent history of considering himself less than perfect. 

The trial formally charges him with falsification of business records, and Trump has pleaded not guilty on all accounts. This is far from the first time Trump has faced criminal accusations. His main tactic of defense? Denial and money. Here’s a few examples:

Trump has been accused of sexual assault or harrassment by at least 26 women; multiple cases of tax fraud; pressuring the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to interfere with the 2020 election – the charge which would lead to his impeachment by the House; inciting violence following Biden’s election – which caused a second impeachment; taking classified documents from the White House and more. 

While the jury may, and thank goodness for it, have found this most recent denial inadequate, Trump’s supporters continue to rally behind him. 

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy tweeted that the trial was an “outrageous abuse of power,” while Texas senator Ted Cruz tweeted that the indictment was “political persecution” and “completely unprecedented.” 

However, it’s Trump’s reaction to the case which feels most frightening. 

On March 11, prior to his indictment, Trump sent out this message on his social media platform, Truth Social, all-caps and with multiple exclamation points emphasizing his immense displeasure. 

“THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK,” Trump wrote. 

“WE JUST CAN’T ALLOW THIS ANYMORE! THEY’RE KILLING OUR NATION AS WE SIT BACK & WATCH. WE MUST SAVE AMERICA! PROTEST, PROTEST, PROTEST!!!” a later message read. 

Childish, but also terrifying; why? Think back several years ago, to when Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. 

On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump delivered a rally speech claiming the election was a fraud and encouraging his supporters to fight to keep Biden out of office. 

“This year they rigged an election…We won in a landslide. This was a landslide,” Trump said. “Our brightest days are before us. Our greatest achievements, still away… Because nobody until I came along had any idea how corrupt our elections were… And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

An hour later, thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington D.C., brandishing weapons and breaking windows, vandalizing and looting the historical monument and threatening the lives of congressional officials. 

When Trump finally addressed the violent insurrection, hours after the attack began, he referred to them as “special” and loved.  

As Jenayla Randall and Maurice Faulkner Jr., freshmen majoring in psychology and computer science, point out: Trump’s response to protests such as those of the Black Lives Matter movement, was much different. 

“(The Jan. 6 insurrection) it’s very, very ironic to me,” Randall said. “Because when that whole situation happened, it’s like there were a lot of people trying to justify it. But when… (protests)… happen with different races, it’s, you know, it’s a problem.”

Randall and Faulkner feel Trump’s role in inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection was major and won’t be surprised if Trump’s supporters resort once again to violence. 

“If they’ve done it before, they’ll definitely do it again,” Randall said. 

“It makes me feel uneasy,” Faulkner shared. 

Expecting a peaceful surrender from a group that has proven themselves to be violent on an extreme level in the recent past would be foolish. Expecting morality from a man driven so deeply by greed? Ridiculous! 

The U.S. must remain cautious as we wait for more information and hope the indictment’s aftermath doesn’t reflect that of the 2020 election.