Sunday shows preview: Trump’s second indictment unsealed; 2024 race kicks off

Former President Trump’s second indictment and the ever-looming 2024 presidential race will likely dominate the Sunday talk show circuit this weekend.

Trump has been charged with 37 counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents and efforts to prevent the government from retrieving the documents, according to the indictment unsealed on Friday.

The indictment detailed the high-level information that the former president allegedly took with him from the White House, including information about U.S. and foreign defense capabilities, U.S. nuclear programs, potential vulnerabilities of the U.S. and its allies, and plans for possible retaliation to an attack.

It also describes two occasions in which Trump reportedly showed classified materials to individuals without proper security clearances, as well as the former president’s alleged efforts to conceal the classified documents that remained in his possession.

The vast majority of the counts fall under the Espionage Act, which prohibits the improper retention of national defense information.

In the wake of the indictment, Trump railed against special Jack Smith, who was appointed to lead the Justice Department’s investigations into the former president, calling him a “deranged lunatic” and a “Trump Hater.”

Trump attorney Alina Habba, who is set to join “Fox News Sunday” this weekend, suggested on Friday that the latest indictment represents “selective prosecution” of the former president.

“I’m embarrassed to be a lawyer at this moment. Honestly, I am ashamed,” Habba told Fox News. “I am ashamed to be a lawyer. I’m ashamed that this is the state of our country, and it is so obvious that there’s this dual system of justice.”

The former president’s Republican allies have also criticized the indictment. House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who will make an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, said in a letter on Friday that the charges create “a serious appearance of a double standard and a miscarriage of justice.”

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) will also join ABC’s “This Week” to discuss the indictment, while former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr is set to join “Fox News Sunday.”

Barr has repeatedly pushed back on his former boss’ assertion that the classified documents investigation is politically motivated.

“Over time, people will see that this is not a case of the Department of Justice conducting a witch hunt,” Barr said on Tuesday. “In fact, they approached this very delicately and with deference to the president, and this would have gone nowhere had the president just returned the documents. But he jerked them around for a year and a half.”

As the 2024 presidential race kicks into full gear, the election will also likely be a topic of discussion on the Sunday shows.

Several candidates officially joined the Republican field this week, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. 

Burgum is set to join CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, as is New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. Sununu, who ultimately ruled a 2024 White House run on Monday, has slammed the Republican field for not being more aggressive in their response to Trump’s indictment.

“If you’re not calling out Donald Trump…then you don’t deserve to be on the stage,” he told “Face the Nation.”

Conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, both Republican candidates, will also make appearances on CNN’s “State of the Union,” while Marianne Williamson, a long-shot candidate for the Democratic nomination, will join Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.)

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Pre-empted by coverage of the French Open tennis tournament

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican presidential candidate; New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R); former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.); entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Republican presidential candidates

“Fox News Sunday” — Alina Habba, attorney to former President Donald Trump; former Attorney General William Barr; Miami Mayor Francis Suarez

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.); Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.); former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker; Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law professor emeritus and author of “Get Trump;” John Ratcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence; Marianne Williamson, a Democratic presidential candidate