Will One Thousand Paper Cuts Bleed Trump? “The Sunday Political Brunch”

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Mark Curtis, MINDSETTER™

 

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Trump on CNN's Town Hall

Former President Donald Trump is one of the most enduring and resilient politicians I have ever covered. He is loved by many, and hated by many others, but he’s like the “Energizer Bunny” in that he keeps on marching along, no matter what. But will all his legal troubles have a cumulative effect? Let’s “brunch” on that this week.

 

“Trump Verdict” –   This past week a civil court jury in New York handed Mr. Trump a huge legal defeat. Jurors awarded E. Jean Carroll five-million dollars, saying that Trump sexually abused her and then libeled her with his comments about her and the legal case. “This woman, I don’t know her. I never met her. I have no idea who she is,” Trump said in comments after the verdict. He did not attend or testify at the trial.

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“Criminal Charges” – Trump was already criminally indicted weeks ago for some of his business dealings. His then-attorney Michael Cohen paid off porn star Stormy Daniels and another woman, who claimed they had sexual affairs with Trump. Cohen was then reimbursed tens of thousands of dollars for “legal services” by the Trump organization. Trump says he’s not guilty.

 

“January 6th Fallout” – The former president is also the target of a criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, over his role in the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. Many believe Trump helped organize and encourage the rioters’ violent behavior, motivated by his belief that the 2020 election had been “stolen.”

 

“Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts?" – I don’t think any single Trump legal problem has the potential to be a knockout punch. But I am starting to wonder about the cumulative effect, especially among the large group of independent swing-voters in this country. He won so many of the independents in 2016, only to lose many of them in 2020. They are the people who decide most presidential races. Die-hard Trumpers will stand with him, as will many mainstream Republicans if he is their best shot to regain the White House. Democrats are simply cast in stone, in their opposition. So far, his plate full of legal problems has not sunk him, but we’ll see if “Trump fatigue” develops over time.

 

“Endorsements Stand” – All the investigations against Trump have yet to erode his standing in recent political polls. Nor have they cut into his political endorsements. Last Tuesday night, three of the Republican candidates for Governor of Kentucky all stood behind Trump, just hours after he lost the lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll. "I am honored to have President Trump's endorsement. I do know that Alvin Bragg in New York has weaponized the political system and the judicial system to try to destroy President Trump, but he has endorsed my campaign for governor," said Attorney General Daniel Cameron, (R) candidate for Kentucky Governor. "I am the only one who has defended Donald Trump, and as you are witnessing tonight, the only one who will continue to defend Donald Trump. He saved this country and I look forward to him being president in 2024," said Eric Deters, (R) Candidate for Kentucky Governor.
 

 

“Polling ABCs” – ABC News had a fascinating poll out this past week. In my book, the poll comes down to Age, Base, and Charges, which are my ABCs of key issues in this race. Regarding age, 68 percent of respondents said President Biden is too old for a second term. Only 44 percent of voters said Donald Trump was too old, even though he is only four years younger than Biden. As for the strength of his political base, only 36 percent of Democrats polled support Biden in 2024, while 58 percent of Democrats want someone else. And 56 percent of those polled say Trump should face criminal charges for his effort to overturn the 2020 election. However, 18 percent of those who think Trump should face charges, say they would still vote for him anyway! The poll also shows Trump now leading Biden among independent voters by nine points. Biden beat Trump by 13 points among independents in 2020.

 

“CNN Debate” – I thought the Town Hall meeting with Trump hosted by CNN Wednesday night was engaging. CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins was well-prepared and relentless in her tough questioning of Trump, even challenging him when he said something that was not true, including that the 2020 election was stolen . Trump held his ground, and counterpunched and his supporters loved it. It was like watching the classic Ali-Frazier boxing matches. If sent back to the White House, Trump said he was “inclined to pardon” many of the January 6th Capitol rioters. Not all of them but, “it will be a large portion of them,” Trump said.

 

“Title 42” – One issue that may give Trump a boost soon, is the end of his Title 42 executive order dealing with the Southern Border during COVID-19. President Biden said months ago, he would end the controversial restrictions on immigration, and indeed they expired at midnight Friday. Thousands of migrants, most without legal immigration status or documents, amassed across the border from Texas and other states. If there is violence, human suffering, and another surge of illegal entry into the U.S., the images on TV could be very damaging to the Biden Administration. This will be a central issue in campaign 2024.

 

“Border Issues Affect Middle America” – There is a perception by some that only border states are affected by the border crisis. Here in the Appalachian region, we get very few illegal immigrants, but what we do get is synthetic heroin known as fentanyl. This region is already ground-zero for the nation’s opioid epidemic. “Well in 2020, over a thousand West Virginians were killed, just with fentanyl,” said Rep. Carol Miller (R) West Virginia “They’re killing our children. And nationwide drug overdoses basically surpass car accidents, guns, and terrible flus. I am so upset about it,” Rep. Miller added.

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states and the entire Washington, DC media market. He is also a MINDSETTER™ contributing political writer and analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.


 

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