Donald Trump’s indictment makes this the first time a former president has been criminally charged.
Historians admit the indictment is a watershed moment for the country.
“This is a historic moment,” Rice University's presidential historian Mark Jones said.
Former President Trump appeared in a New York courtroom Tuesday to answer to alleged crimes he committed.
“This is a unique moment in history and that while in the past there have been accusations against some former presidents, this is the first time we’ve actually had a former president indicted,” Jones said.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree in connection with paying off an adult film actress during his 2016 campaign.
“The closest parallel would be going back to Watergate in the Nixon era to find a time when it’s clear that the president was skirting in illegal areas and potentially should’ve been indicted on charges,” Jones said.
For Jones, he says the indictment of Trump will fall into two categories for most of the country.
“Reaction to this breaks down on partisan and Trump-oriented lines," Jones said. "Trump supporters view it as political persecution, as Trump calls it. Everyone who’s not a Trump supporter views it as proper and just deserved for someone who’s lived his life in the grey area between illegal and legal."
Jones does expect the nation to be able to move forward under the circumstances despite how rare it is for a former president of the United States to be indicted.