Mr. Trump at an event in New Jersey (USA) on June 13.
The comments, which included a stinging rebuke from former US Defense Secretary Mark Esper, appeared on major political talk shows in the first weekend since Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to charges related to his retention of some of the US government's most sensitive documents, according to AFP.
The new wave of criticism is in stark contrast to the statements of many Republicans in the US Congress, who have either defended Mr. Trump or have not criticized him at all.
"I cannot defend what has been alleged," Mike Pence, the former vice president who served Mr. Trump, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program on June 18, referring to his former boss's actions in the classified documents case.
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson went further on Tuesday, saying the charges against Trump were “serious” and made the former president “ineligible” to run again. “I think he should drop out” of the 2024 race, Hutchinson said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Mr Trump, Mr Pence and Mr Hutchinson have all launched campaigns to win the Republican nomination for president in the November 2024 election in the US.
According to the indictment, Mr. Trump is accused of endangering national security by illegally storing top secret military plans and nuclear weapons information at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He is also charged with trying to prevent federal investigators from recovering these documents.
It is one of several legal challenges that are clouding Trump’s bid to return to the White House. The former president has declared his innocence and said the Justice Department has been “weaponized” against him.
"If the allegations are true, that the documents contain information about our national security ... that action could cause harm to the country," Mr. Esper, the Pentagon chief during the Trump administration, said on CNN's "State of the Union" program on June 18.
Echoing statements by special prosecutor Jack Smith, who brought charges against Mr Trump, Mr Esper said "no one is above the law" and called the revelations in the indictment "disturbing".
Republican presidential candidates are in the difficult position of trying to widen the gap between themselves and Mr. Trump, the party’s current front-runner, without angering the former president’s base of voters.
"The former president deserves a trial... I want to reserve judgment on this until he has had the opportunity to defend himself in court," Mr. Pence said.
The former vice president also made clear that he and Mr Trump “have had disagreements” on a number of other issues, including the national debt.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who last week vowed to take on Mr Trump directly, on June 18 criticized the former president for "constantly whining, complaining and moaning about how unfair things are".
Mr Christie, a former federal prosecutor, also attacked Mr Trump for berating former subordinates who had different views from him. “He’s a petulant child when someone disagrees with him,” Mr Christie told CNN.
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