He is still on track to become the Republican nominee for President.
In fact, if anything, we should assume right now that this is going to only make him more popular. Because if you look back, you will see that his popularity in the run up to this upcoming election didn't really take off until he was slapped with the first set of Stormy Daniels charges.
Back in February before he was charged, he and Ron DeSantis were virtually neck and neck in polling. Trump on 41 percent, DeSantis on 39 percent.
But then the Stormy Daniels charges landed in April and he was arrested- suddenly his popularity took off and he’s been in the lead ever since.
So if anything, charging him actually makes him more popular.
Who knows why? It could be that Republican voters really do believe that he is the subject of a witch-hunt and so charging him elicits sympathy.
It could just be that the charges give him publicity and he has a remarkable talent capitalising on any publicity, good or bad.
And take a look at the timeline ahead- this has the potential to play into his hands publicity wise even more.
The E Jean Carroll defamation case goes to court on 15 Jan next year, the same day as the Iowa caucuses. The Stormy Daniels trial starts March 25, and he has to attend that. And then the classified files trial starts May 20 and he has to attend that.
Those dates are just weeks before the Republican Convention, where the party will pick their nominee on 15 July. And just months before Election Day on November 5.
Most normal people would expect that arrests and charges and court appearances and even guilty verdicts would make a presidential candidate less popular, if not unelectable.
Everything we’ve seen so far says it doesn’t work like that with Donald Trump.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show.
7 comments:
Because the DEMORATS stole the last election, denied Trump his second term and are now making up charges against him to try to stop him from running again.
The real patriots have had enough of DEMORATS bullshit and want Trump back in to DRAIN THE SWAMP.
I don't think much of Trump but there is also a major scandal wafting around Biden that the NZ media are ignoring. I am sure many US voters in full knowledge of suspicions around Biden would start to back Trump. What a choice!
Surely the US can do better than Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Or maybe not.
Two really old guys - one a career politician, turned woke plonker. The other an egotist and narcissist who was an embarrassment last time he was President and will be worse this time.
Says a lot about the state of politics, not just in the US, that the public have to choose between terrible candidates like them.
Maybe it's because the Dems are rotten to the core corrupt and morally bankrupt.
Trump symbolises the only one to go against this. The more he's villified the more obvious the corruption becomes.
He's never been that bad 'tho just all the do gooders seem to be offended by him. I hated him once until I found out what a despot Hilary was and that unlike most po Illiticians he did care about the terrible direction the US had taken.
Trump winning the Republican nomination does not ensure his winning the presidency. There is a lot of water to go under the bridge and time for the Democrats to put up a candidate better than Trump or Biden. In 1968 Johnson (sitting president at the time) withdrew when he found he could not even get renominated. My bet is Biden will withdraw on health grounds. Both parties should look for new candidates.
Anonymous in the first reply is totally correct. I could give you the full story but would add that every charge against Trump has happened as soon as more distructive information about Biden and his family is released. Simply this is Election interference.I have read that a large number of young Democrats are changing to supporting Trump. Good on them.
I seem to recall that time after time at his past rallies Trump would have an ecstatic smirk on his face while the mob chanted “Jail the bitch! Lock her up!” That was opponent Hillary Clinton, who, incidentally, outpolled Trump by 2.9 million votes, and who has never been, as far as I am aware, convicted of a crime. She was robbed of the presidency. These people would be the last to whine about the indictments against Trump being politically motivated.
For the record, I think that Trump is an utterly loathsome creep. It beats me why he has any following at all, let along the one he’s got.
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