Trump repeatedly warned that indicted suspects should never serve as president

Donald Trump warned years ago against the possibility of a president coming under indictment, although he's running for a second term under those exact conditions.

The twice-impeached, twice-indicted former president is the leading Republican contender for 2024, but during his first campaign in 2016 he said a president serving while under indictment would “cripple the operations of our government” and create an “unprecedented constitutional crisis,” reported CNN.

“We could very well have a sitting president under felony indictment and ultimately a criminal trial,” Trump said during a Nov. 5, 2016, campaign rally in Reno, Nevada. “It would grind government to a halt.”

But Trump, who was charged last month with 37 federal counts in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, was referring at that time to his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, who has never been indicted for any alleged crimes.

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“If she were to win, it would create an unprecedented Constitutional crisis that would cripple the operations of our government,” Trump said at another rally on Nov. 3, 2016, in Concord, North Carolina. “She is likely to be under investigation for many years, and also it will probably end up – in my opinion – in a criminal trial. I mean, you take a look. Who knows? But it certainly looks that way.”

Trump, who was also indicted on fraud charges in Manhattan and faces numerous other state and federal investigations, has vowed to remain the race even if he's convicted.

“She has no right to be running, you know that,” Trump said at the North Carolina rally. “No right.”

He also said at a Nov. 5, 2016, rally in Denver that Clinton was “the prime suspect in a far-reaching criminal investigation,” and he said those allegations would make it “virtually impossible for her to govern.”