Donald Trump’s conviction is certainly historic, but will it affect his chances of winning the presidential election?
There are few better places to ask that question than the gaming capital of the United States. Snowfallwhich is also one of the most dynamic states in the country.
The latest from Trump: ‘The real verdict will be on November 5’
The last four election cycles have gone the way of the Democratic Party here, but between 1960 and 2000 it was almost always Republican.
Yeah Triumph If he wants to beat President Biden in November, he will have to make inroads in places like this.
“This is a rigged trial”
“I wouldn’t invite him out for a beer, but I would invite him to the White House.”
Inside the Cal Neva casino on Reno’s main drag, I meet retired trucker Keith, a lifelong Republican voter and staunch Trump supporter.
I ask him if the first condemnation of the president has made him at least a little curious about Biden.
“Not at all,” he says. “I’m still voting for Donald Trump. I think this whole thing has been a mockery, a false trial. I’m ashamed of our country.”
Stormy Daniels in 2018. Photo: AP
He admits that he does not like Donald Trump’s “personality” and claims that the businessman is “incited” into public disputes too often.
“He has a big mouth,” Keith says. “I wouldn’t invite him to have a beer at my house or go to the pub with him. But that’s not what it’s about. It’s about business and the presidency, so I would absolutely invite him to the White House.”
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‘This country loves people who are bad’
Playing the gaming machines, Eric, on vacation from Washington state, is undecided which side he will vote for, but believes it is certain that Trump will be president again.
“I’m already preparing for him to be president,” he says. “I think he’ll have more support now than before. This country loves people who are bad guys. He’s very controversial and that’s how he ended up winning the first time.”
Photo: Keith, a staunch Trump supporter
I ask him if he thinks Donald Trump will receive a prison sentence for his crimes.
“If he goes to prison, it will be a country club prison,” he says. “He won’t be in the kind of prison where people get beaten up. What I feel sorry for is his secret service, because it’s the worst job of your life.”
Read more:
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Will Trump’s conviction affect his campaign?
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“He has never had a good reputation among women”
Nevada is not only a state that could be key to Trump’s political future, but it is also at the center of his conviction for falsifying business records.
An hour’s drive from Reno, on the shores of stunning Lake Tahoe, is the Edgewood Golf Resort.
Stormy Daniels in 2018. Photo: AP
It was here that Donald Trump met the porn star Stormy Daniel.
During the trial, she told the court that in a hotel room she “smacked” the former president on the “butt.”
They are salacious details that Democrats hope will continue to ring loudly in voters’ ears in November.
Photo: Elizabeth, first time voter
Elizabeth, a first-time voter from Washoe County, Nevada’s most vibrant county, hopes that’s the case.
“I think the trial has said everything that he himself has already said,” he says.
“He’s never really had a good reputation among women. I was never a Trump supporter to begin with, but I hope that influences people who vote for him.
“I think it definitely reflects who he is and how he’s going to lead the country.”
What will happen next with Donald Trump?
‘I don’t like Biden either’
The retiree Jan was a lifelong Republican voter, but said she didn’t vote for Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections because she “couldn’t bring herself to.”
This time he doesn’t know how he will vote.
Photo: Jan, undecided Republican voter
“I don’t know if I can vote for a convicted felon,” he says. “But I don’t like Biden either.
“Unfortunately we have no options. I must say there are no good options.”
If Donald Trump wants to be president again, he will have to focus his campaign on key battlegrounds like Nevada and win over undecided voters like Jan.
But has his conviction taken the shine off the silver state? We will know soon.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
