Former President Trump’s guilty verdict at his secret trial in New York is throwing the presidential election into uncertain territory, as Republicans and Democrats grapple with how to move forward in the wake of the historic development.
Reactions to the verdict from both sides of the aisle emerged Thursday, with Trump immediately fundraising with the announcement while Biden’s campaign proclaimed that the outcome of the trial proves “no one is above the law.” The Trump campaign’s donation page even briefly crashed moments after the ruling was handed down.
But with the sentencing taking place just four days before the Republican National Convention, both campaigns will be forced to face a scenario that no other US presidential campaign has ever faced.
“[Biden] is running against a convicted felon,” said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist. “I don’t know if we’ve swum in this water as a country yet.”
Trump on Thursday became the first former US president to be convicted of a crime when he was found guilty of all 34 charges in a case involving secret payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. four cases Trump is grappling with before the fall, but likely the only one where a decision will be made before November.
Trump’s allies immediately attacked the verdict, comparing it to the “imprisonment of political opponents.”
“We live in a banana republic,” said Dan Eberhart, a Trump donor. “Welcome to the United States of Burma.”
Several other Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), predicted that Trump would appeal the ruling and win. And many have suggested that this would have minimal impact – or even help – for Trump in November.
“This will be overturned on appeal and the true verdict will come from the people on November 5th,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist.
Trump’s campaign is already seeking to take advantage of Republican anger over the verdict to bridge the financial gap between the former president and Biden. Minutes after the verdict was read, Trump posted a link to donate campaign funds on Truth Social with the caption “I’m a political prisoner!”
Another GOP strategist predicted that Trump’s guilty verdict could end up having a similar effect on Republicans in November as the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Wade had for Democrats during the 2022 midterm elections.
“People tend to be motivated to vote against something,” said Republican Party strategist Justin Sayfie. “When you get a victory like the conservatives had when Roe was overturned, you feel a little complacent.”
“I think the same thing is happening now with this legal ruling, which is that the Democrats got what they wanted,” Sayfie continued. “Republicans are extremely upset and will express those emotions at the polls in the same way that reproductive rights advocates expressed their emotions about the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
But the reality is that no one knows exactly what Thursday’s decision means for the race. Polls have been mixed when it comes to portraying how voters might be influenced by the verdict. Some polls suggest there is a small portion of the electorate who would be less likely to vote for Trump after a conviction.
But other research shows little movement in the event of conviction. A Marist poll released Thursday morning found that 67 percent of voters said a conviction would make no difference to them in November, while 76 percent of voters said they would not vote differently if Trump were found innocent.
“Inflation and the cost of everything will be the No. 1 issue, especially in the six swing states,” O’Connell said. “What that means is that this is always going to be a close election. Now it just means that Republicans will have to double their voter turnout effort in Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania.”
Although Republicans criticized the verdict on Thursday, Democrats wasted no time seizing it as an opportunity to attack Trump.
“Donald Trump is racist, homophobic, a crook and a threat to this country. He can now add one more title to his list: criminal. But let me be clear, Donald Trump will never be 47,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) said in a blunt statement.
Progressive Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) released her own statement, saying “accountability is welcome and long overdue.”
“This man is, without a doubt, unfit to serve in public office. The threat he poses to our nation and our democracy cannot be overstated,” Pressley said.
Biden’s campaign seized on the verdict as just the latest example of how Trump’s re-election would spell “chaos.”
“A second Trump term means chaos, destroying Americans’ freedoms and fomenting political violence – and the American people will reject him in November,” said Michael Tyler, the campaign’s communications director.
But even many Democrats acknowledge that the verdict is unlikely to have a strong influence among undecided voters.
“We have to stay focused on the task at hand and that is the election,” Seawright said. “The president must focus on politics and the political threat that Donald Trump poses if he is given another four years in office.”
Biden has been careful not to publicly involve himself in Trump’s legal troubles. Although his campaign recruited actor Robert De Niro to participate in a press conference outside the courthouse earlier this week, Biden himself has largely avoided the topic. Instead, Democrats sought to emphasize the split screen playing out before the American public: While Biden began the campaign to talk about issues like job creation, Trump was isolated in a Manhattan courtroom for days on end.
Republicans say they are prepared for Biden to attack Trump’s legal issues now that the verdict is in.
“Biden absolutely wants to be able to say that Trump is a convicted felon because he can’t talk about the economy and he can’t talk about open borders,” O’Connell said.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
