Note that only 29% say they would vote for someone charged with a felony crime, and only 23% say they would vote for someone convicted of a felony crime.
Donald Trump has been convicted of 34 felonies, and has other felony charges pending. That could pose a big problem for him on Election Day.
"This verdict is a disgrace, and this trial should have never happened." - Sen. John Cornyn (Texas)
“This is a dark day for America.” - Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas)
“These charges never should have been brought in the first place.” - Sen. Mitch McConnell (Kentucky)
“I won’t stand by while the leader of our party is ambushed by our own government.” - Rep. Steve Scalise (Louisiana)
“This was certainly a hoax, a sham.” - Sen. Tim Scott (South Carolina)
"Just witnessed the most egregious example of election interference and an outright mockery of the rule of law in the 246-year history of our Republic." - Senate candidate Kari Lake (Arizona)
"A shameful day in American history. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one." - House Speaker Mike Johnson (Louisiana)
“A disgrace to the judicial system.” - Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio)
“This verdict says more about the system than the allegations.” - Sen. Lindsey Graham (South Carolina)
“Politically motivated from the beginning, and today’s verdict does nothing to absolve the partisan nature of this prosecution.” - Sen. John Thune (South Dakota)
"A complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice." - Sen. Marco Rubio (Florida)
"This was a sham, rigged political show trial from the very beginning." - Sen. Tom Cotton (Arkansas)
"The verdict shows how corrupt and rigged the American justice system has become under Joe Biden." - Rep. Elise Stefanik (New York)
The quotes above are just a sample of Republican reactions to the felony conviction of Donald Trump. Republicans across the nation are not only condemning the verdict, but our entire system of justice.
This is strange for a party that has in the past prided itself on being the "law and order" party. I remember when it became obvious that Richard Nixon had violated the law. A group of Republican senators went to the White House and demanded he resign - telling him they would vote for his impeachment if he did not. Whatever one might think of these GOP senators on other issues, they did believe in the rule of law and believed that no one was above the law.
Today's Republican Party is very different. They no longer believe in the rule of law. They believe a Republican president should be above the law. They now believe is a two-tier system of "justice" - one for rich, white, Republican men, and another for the rest of the country (especially the poor, nonwhites, the young, and women who want an abortion).
Now they stand ready to nominate a man who has been convicted of 34 felonies (and likely will also be convicted of federal felony charges) to be their candidate for president.
They should be ashamed!
We should step back, take a deep breath, and consider the seriousness of Donald Trump’s criminal trial, as much as the defendant would like us not to.
Trying to follow the proceedings closely can be alternately painful and shameful. It can make you long for a shower or an adult beverage. We’ve read accounts of planting news stories, paying to have stories shelved, propositioning a porn star, a sexual encounter, a sleeping defendant, and constantly bickering attorneys. It became even more of a circus when the speaker of the House and several Republican United States senators showed up in New York to “support” Trump by attending the trial. They were actually on hand to help the defendant circumnavigate the judge’s gag order by publicly trashing the proceedings. One would think these elected officials would have better things to do than kiss the ring.
But something is missing from the daily coverage — a really big what if. What if Trump is convicted?
Pundits, the press, and much of the public are ignoring or underplaying the real possibility that the Republican nominee for president could soon be a convicted felon.
The presidential campaign must go on, debates and conventions planned, rallies organized. But until the jury renders a verdict, every future campaign event should appear with an asterisk and a footnote that reads “This event could be affected by the conviction and possible prison sentence of the Republican nominee.”
Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Each count carries the possibility of more than a year in prison. Since it would be Trump’s first felony conviction and it wasn’t a violent crime, legal experts have written that he may not face jail time, but it is a possibility. He can and will likely try to appeal.
The New York Times reviewed the outcomes of thousands of similar cases and reports: “If Mr. Trump is found guilty, incarceration is an actual possibility. It’s not certain, of course, but it is plausible.” The Times analysis found that approximately 1 in 10 cases of falsifying business records results in imprisonment. If Trump doesn’t receive a prison sentence, he will probably be assessed a fine, assigned probation, and perhaps ordered to a rehabilitation program (good luck with that).
If Trump is convicted and spared a trip to Sing Sing, he will, of course, blame everyone but himself and spin it as a victory. However, he might not be able to vote in the presidential election. Florida law states that a felon is disenfranchised until his fines are paid and his sentence is fulfilled, including probation or parole.
Will voters care?
The former president’s MAGA base is not likely to desert him, but what about the true independents and the undecided? Many millions of advertising dollars would be spent attempting to convince voters that a recently convicted felon and someone possibly convicted of election interference should be nowhere near the White House. It should be noted that Trump remains innocent unless convicted. If he is convicted, it should matter. A lot. But will it?
Regardless of the outcome of this trial, or other cases where he faces even more serious charges, how have we arrived at this point? That a man with this much baggage is a viable candidate for president of the United States? Why are so many willing to risk the demise of our great experiment in democracy for the sake of one man?
The chart above reflects the results of the Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between May 12th and 14th of a nationwide sample of 1,830 adults (including 1,586 registered voters). The margin of error is 2.9 points for both groups.
