The Republican presidential runner, Donald Trump, announced his willingness to undergo house arrest or serve time in jail subsequent to his significant guilty verdict by a jury in New York last week. However, he raised concerns regarding its acceptability among the public. “I’ve got doubt over whether the public could accept it,” he confided to Fox News during a Sunday broadcast, “It might not sit well with the public conscience. We risk reaching a tipping point.”
Trump failed to give further details on the potential repercussions upon reaching such a boiling point. The anticipated sentencing date for him is July 11th, a mere four days prior to the Republican convention for the official selection of their presidential nomination, due to compete against Democratic President Joe Biden in the November election.
When cross-examined about the potential reaction from Trump’s backers if he ends up imprisoned, Republic National Committee (RNC) co-chair, Lara Trump, responded to CNN: “Fundamentally, Trump’s supporters will apply their same strategy as before, exhibiting calm and voicing their protests through voting on November 5th. Their only tool is to ensure their displeasure resonates”.
Despite being convicted, Trump capitalised upon his situation for fundraising objectives, although he did not evidently incite his followers, unlike his prior comments against his 2020 defeat to Mr Biden that precipitated the US Capitol attack by his supporters on January 6th, 2021.
The monetary gains for the RNC and Trump’s campaign accumulated to $70 million (€64 million) within the 48-hour period post-verdict, as claimed by Lara Trump. The specific proportions to be allocated for legal expenditures versus campaign costs were not disclosed by her.
The possible violent reaction from Trump’s supporters following his conviction was a major concern articulated by a Democratic legislator, “To his supporters, Trump is the figure they obey. Lara Trump’s words carry no weight on them. This is yet another risky incitement to violence,” US Democratic representative Adam Schiff shared with CNN.
Conversely, the US House Speaker and Trump advocate, Mike Johnson, insisted on any protestation strictly obeying the law. “We are the advocates for the rule of law, without any room for turmoil. We certainly will retaliate, employing all our means, but within the bastion of lawful boundaries,” he expressed to Fox News on Sunday.
Trump is determined to contest his verdict of guilt, passed by a New York jury who convicted him on 34 felony charges concerning fraudulent documents used to conceal a payment made to a porn actress ahead of the 2016 elections. “The trial was skewed”, Trump insists, insisting his intention to lodge an appeal against the guilty sentence.
The issue is expected to remain unresolved until after the impending November presidential election, during which Trump hopes to regain the presidency from Mr Biden. Public opinion surveys indicate a neck-to-neck competition between these two men, suggesting that Trump’s conviction may potentially erode his support among some Republicans and independent voters.
Trump’s lawyer, Will Scharf, in an interview with ABC News’s This Week, reiterated that he did not anticipate Trump “will ultimately be subject to any sentencing” and communicated the intention of eventually escalating the case to the Supreme Court.
Trump currently faces three additional criminal cases which are unlikely to be trialled before the election. He denies any misconduct in all the cases and labels the accusations as a conspiracy by the Democrats aimed at obstructing his campaign.
In retaliation, Biden stood up for America’s justice system, vocalizing the “reckless” and “dangerous” nature of dubbing the decision as “rigged”. Interference stemming from the political sphere is denied by the United States Justice Department. (Reuters)