Democrats support the indictment of former President Donald Trump whether it has legal standing or not because convicting him is a life-or-death struggle for their political survival, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said.
"I do think it's sort of a parallel to crossing the Rubicon, which was the moment when Roman Law was shattered," Gingrich said on "Life, Liberty & Levin."
"I would say that what happened was that Donald Trump came out of nowhere and is the first person to have the courage and the willpower to take on the entire corrupt, extremist establishment, and they're fighting in the fight of their life — they are faced with extinction."
Gingrich said Trump's threat to the political left and establishment is similar to that of former President Ronald Reagan's place as a threat to the Soviet Union.
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Trump, Bragg (Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images/Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
If Trump instead is able to be compared to former President Grover Cleveland, Gingrich said, and win a second nonconsecutive term in office, he becomes the "mortal enemy" of every "corrupt, dishonest" bureaucracy, the left-wing media, and academic establishment.
"All these people understand this is life-and-death for them, so breaking the law, which is what they're doing, is just part of the process of desperately trying to stop [Trump]."
Gingrich added that when critics say Trump cannot win a general election, President Biden's approval rating proves it is indeed possible.
"I think what [current conditions in America are] going to do is force the American people to choose between Donald Trump and a future with a corrupt, extremist movement that will tell us how we get to live our lives based on what they want us to do."
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Gingrich (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
Host Mark Levin asked Gingrich's thoughts on some of Trump's fellow Republicans who have been less than deferential following the indictment, including former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who called for Trump to bow out of the presidential sweeps after he himself joined the field.
"I think to myself, these guys are missing exactly what's taking place in this country, that is, this isn't your typical election. This isn't your typical period in history. This is a battle over the republic," Levin said.
Gingrich agreed, adding that it is heartening to see frequent Trump foils like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, criticize the indictment.
"The choice is very simple. You have an entire corrupt system prepared to destroy one person to rewrite the law in the way Lavrentiy Beria once told Stalin: 'Show me the man, I'll find you the crime,'" he said, then criticizing Hutchinson's position.
"The truth is, the indictment of New York is an absurdity, and I've said over and over, it has nothing to do with the indictment. It has everything to do with Donald Trump."
If Trump remained a retired mogul in Florida, Gingrich said, he never would have been pursued by New York County DA Alvin Bragg or any other left-winger.