They finally caught him.
Not about Russian collusion. The Ukraine calls. The January 6th insurrection. Classified documents. Or nasty tweets.
They ended up arresting Donald Trump for filing false financial sex story cover-up papers.
Who else but Donald Trump would be prosecuted for something like this? CNN’s Fareed Zakaria said this a few days ago.“I cannot imagine that the indictment in New York has been brought against a defendant named other than Donald Trump.”
As the verdict was being handed down Thursday afternoon, I was stunned to hear my CNN colleague Jake Tapper say “guilty” 34 times in a row, a historic moment that further divided an already divided country.
And it was equally jarring to watch message after message flood my phone from clearly non-MAGA Republicans, but not Never Trumpers, all saying the same thing: “I don’t like this guy, and I think I have to vote for him.”
Lest you think this is just anecdotal, or proof that Scott has some odd friends, the Trump campaign reported a flood of donations online just minutes after the verdict. It crashed the system.
poll This suggests that conviction will have little impact on how most Americans vote, but Republicans are looking to bolster their party’s presidential candidate, and polls suggest that it is likely Next Obama, the President of the United States, has been indicted on 34 felony counts in a heavily Democratic jurisdiction that almost no one can fully explain.
Essentially, the prosecution He claimed Hillary Clinton could have won. If Trump had not paid Stormy Daniels to stay quiet, he would be found guilty of covering up campaign finance violations for which he was never charged or convicted. The Department of Justice and the Federal Election Commission declined to pursue this novel theory, but the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office accepted it.
That sounds crazy. After never coming to the conclusion that “Russia stole the election” in 2016, Democrats have shifted to rationalizing that Hillary Clinton lost because Trump paid off a porn star he allegedly had sex with in 2006. (Trump claims that didn’t happen, but Daniels says it did.)
Many in my circle believe this will backfire badly as Republicans gain momentum. Even Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Trump staunch supporter, tweeted that “these charges should never have been brought in the first place. I hope the conviction is overturned on appeal.”
In light of the poll results, I’m focusing on two groups of voters: older people and what we in the political industry call “low-information” voters, those who watch very little news beyond fleeting headlines. Older people still remember the “before times” when presidents didn’t spend all their time in court, while low-information voters may know very little about Trump other than that he’s now a convicted felon.
Biden is strong with older white voters, while Trump is strong with disengaged groups. If either group turns against Trump, that could boost Biden’s support. I wouldn’t bet on it, but if I were Trump’s commander, I would be watching these people very closely in the coming weeks.
A guilty verdict marks a critical start to June for a so far sluggish campaign in which Biden has been mired in a quagmire for months. His approval rating remains low at around 38% (historically low), and trailing Trump in national and battleground state polls. Voters remain angry at Biden on inflation and immigration. Biden’s approval ratings have never been higher since August 2021, following the devastating, chaotic and deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Biden and Trump at the end of June Debate in AtlantaPerhaps an unwanted party intruder named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear onstage.
The first step to Biden rebuilding his faltering campaign would be for Trump to be convicted, and the second step would be for Biden to win the June 27 debate.
As of June 1, Trump is winning. What happens on July 1? What happens if Trump is convicted, the debate takes place, and Biden’s approval rating remains the same after a month?
If you think the Democrats are panicking today,Politico reported this week:), prepare yourself for what happens next: Prominent members of the party are loudly questioning removing Biden from the shortlist if he doesn’t have an advantage over convicted felons.
For Trump, the message is clear: The only verdict that matters will be handed down by the American people on November 5, and as with previous indictments and legal milestones, Trump will have the momentum that is sure to follow the verdict.
Scott Jennings is a former special assistant to President George W. Bush and a senior political commentator for CNN. @ScottJenningsKY
