The writer is a pollster and political strategistThe outcome of Donald Trump’s “hush money “trial could not have been more explicit: every juror found him guilty on every charge — without exception or excuse. The first president ever charged with a felony has now committed 34 of them, verified by his peers, in full public view.
And none of it matters. Trump has survived everything he’s said and everything he’s done. He has survived his own bad behaviour. He has survived his worst critics. The question an increasing number of Americans are asking is: can the country survive four more years of him?
Buckle up. It may be coming. The verdict saw people crashing Trump websites in desperate search of campaign paraphernalia, and Trump himself enjoying his best online fundraising day — not just of his career but of every political career. Or, as the great huckster PT Barnum might have said, $53mn in campaign donations in 24 hours cannot be wrong.