Former U.S. President Donald Trump awaits a hearing at the New York Criminal Court in the U.S., March 25, 2024. /CFP
Editor's note: Anthony Moretti, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.
Thirty-four charges. Thirty-four guilty verdicts. If such a decision were handed down by a jury against a typical defendant, it might create some headlines. But when the defendant is the 45th president of the United States, torrents of headlines, analyses and more are bound to follow.
On May 30, a jury concluded that Donald Trump had manipulated business records to cover up that an adult entertainment actress had been paid hush money to obtain her silence on a sexual encounter between the two.
Soon after the verdicts were read, Trump made a brief statement to assembled journalists; he suggested that the entire case against him was a "disgrace" and that the trial was "rigged" in order to guarantee a conviction. He asserted that the White House had influenced the trial, although he did not say how, and he promised that "this is long from over."
Not since January 6, 2021, when the insurrection at the Capitol led to awful images of men and women storming the building in an attempt to prevent Joe Biden from being certified as the next president, has America faced such an unsettling and dangerous day. The bitter reality is that no American can say with certainty that the most rabid of Trump's supporters will not turn to violence because of what happened in a New York courtroom on Thursday.
Trump will be sentenced on July 11, four days before the Republican national convention begins. At that gathering, he is supposed to be officially named the party's 2024 presidential nominee. Republican delegates could nominate him even if he is sentenced to prison.
Trump is a polarizing figure, and he came to power and influence at a time when the divide between America's left and right had become pronounced. His support among Republicans has been rock solid since 2016, yet a survey by CNN and an independent research company indicated that almost one in four Republicans "might" reconsider voting for him this year if he were found guilty in any of the myriad legal cases he is fighting.
ABC News offered important analysis of that poll data, stating that "might consider" is "not the same as "will definitely change" their vote. In light of this conviction, many Trump supporters might simply have a crisis of confidence about their vote without outright switching to President Joe Biden.
Viewed another way, any of the so-called minor candidates running for president this year might pick up support from Trump voters. Then again, Trump Republicans have such hate for the current president that they might stick with Trump.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to local supporters and volunteers at the Wisconsin coordinated campaign headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 13, 2024. /CFP
If all of this sounds confusing, well, so does so much of America's politics these days. The nation that prides itself on being the brightest beacon for democracy in the world remains hamstrung by a host of domestic problems.
A report released by China's State Council Information Office on May 29 highlighted the human rights challenges in the United States. Chronic problems such as racism and economic inequality were mentioned, as were issues relating to the rise of white supremacists and the pervasive gun culture. In short, America's human rights story is cluttered with real negative marks.
Another problem is the absence of bipartisanship. Western democracies accomplish precious little when politicians on the left and the right refuse to find consensus. Over the past two decades, bipartisanship has become nonexistent in more and more of America's 50 state houses and increasingly rare in Congress. Democratic and Republican voters have also retreated to their own camps; they, too, refuse to see "the other side" as anything more than a monolith determined to prevent the political changes they demand.
A third problem is rhetoric that intentionally damages America's institutions. One obvious example of that came within hours of Thursday's guilty verdict. Several people who want to be Trump's vice presidential nominee slammed the legal system that found him guilty. One person suggested the verdicts affirmed how "corrupt, rigged, and unAmerican the weaponized justice system has become under Joe Biden and Democrats."
Another defined the trial as "a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice." A third claimed finding Trump guilty was a "disgrace to the rule of law and our Constitution." Notice the theme in all three comments: The suggestion that the judicial system is out of control, and it conspired against Trump. Rhetoric like this guarantees that the respect for the law, which is needed in all societies, will be reduced in the United States.
Ultimately, Trump's guilt will not change the polarization. He will still be viewed as a hero by many Republicans and corrupt and narcissistic by Democrats. With the presidential election polls continuing to suggest a close race between Biden and Trump, both camps know that getting their voters to the polls is a must. Right now, both men are viewed unfavorably by the electorate.
Sadly, no matter which of them wins in November, America's problems will not go away.
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