Trump is in trouble – even his most ardent fans could turn against him

The former president has so far convinced his fans that the allegations against him are a hoax. That could be about to change, writes Andrew Feinberg

The former president maintains that he has done nothing wrong (US Justice Department)

How badly has Donald Trump stepped in it? If you ask national security law experts, the answer is badly. Extremely badly.

The twice-impeached, now twice-indicted former president on Thursday shocked the world by revealing that he faces charges for what he disparagingly calls the “boxes hoax” – his alleged unlawful retention of national defence information and his alleged obstruction of a year-long Department of Justice probe into how he ended up with highly classified secrets at his Florida beach club turned home and office.

In a string of outraged missives posted to his bespoke social media platform, Truth Social, Mr Trump laid out what will be his main political arguments against a criminal case that could, if things go badly, send him to prison for what would amount to a life sentence.