This hasn't been the best year for Donald Trump, and next year is shaping up to be even worse.
The former president's company was convicted of tax fraud this month and faces civil charges from New York attorney general Letitia James, he faces possible prosecution from the Department of Justice and in the state of Georgia -- and his political fortunes seem to be slipping with Republicans, reported CNN.
"On the election-stealing front, it’s not just Special Counsel Jack Smith that Trump has to worry about. An Atlanta-area special grand jury investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election in the Peach State has already begun writing its final report," wrote CNN's Zachary B. Wolf. "That will serve as a mechanism for the panel to recommend whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should pursue indictments."
The House select committee referred Trump for prosecution following their yearlong investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the Justice Department seems likely to indict him on charges related to classified materials stored at Mar-a-Lago, and his grip on the GOP has weakened following a string of election defeats at the state and national level.
"There’s no sign that the former president – who launched his third nonconsecutive presidential bid last month – has done much to clear the GOP field, with other hopefuls mulling their options over the holidays," Wolf wrote.
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"He must now grapple with polls like CNN’s from earlier this month, which showed that most Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want the party to nominate someone other than Trump in 2024," Wolf added. "Their top pick for an alternative? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The GOP governor, who won a resounding reelection last month, enjoyed much stronger favorability ratings than Trump among Republicans."
That leaves Trump, whose tax records were just turned over to the House Ways and Means Committee, in a legally and politically precarious position heading into 2023.
"Many of the issues that dogged Trump in 2022 won’t be over with the start of the new year – and could even escalate," Wolf wrote.
"While Trump envisions himself returning to the White House, one of the final bipartisan efforts lawmakers agreed on this month was an update to the Electoral Count Act, making clear that attempts like Trump’s after 2020 – to exploit antiquated language in federal election law and undermine the Electoral College – can never occur again," he added.