NEW YORK -- More than seven years after the 2016 presidential election, Republicans are still trying to figure out how to run against Donald Trump, a calculation that's only become more complicated with an indictment of the former president by a Manhattan grand jury.

Trump's unrestrained and norm-busting style carried him from reality TV to the White House, transforming the Republican Party in his image along the way.

But his style has befuddled those who try to compete against him, especially now as they seek to win over some of his supporters rather than draw their ire.

Some in 2016 tried to ignore Trump, like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who treated the celebrity businessman like a sideshow. Some tried to figuratively wrestle with him in the mud, like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who traded insults with Trump by mocking his hair and the size of his hands.

Neither approach worked.

"I think most politicians are not used to playing the game in such a pugilistic fashion as Trump and not as good at it," said Jason Roe, a Michigan-based Republican political strategist.

As the 2024 field takes shape, candidates and potential contenders are struggling with how to make the case that the party needs to move on from Trump without alienating his influential "Make America Great Again" loyalists.

Trump is still considered the GOP front-runner despite facing a criminal indictment, being the subject of several other investigations, spreading false claims about his 2020 election defeat...

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