Top Republicans are attending Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal trial not only to help him evade a gag order, but also to say, “This is not only a sham, but a sham that everyone can see.'' It also contains the message “This is true.”
“Whether it's a conviction or an acquittal, the American people think this is a sham, and rightly so,” one Republican, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, said on Fox News Tuesday. Ta.
“I think everyone in this country understands that [sham] That’s what it is,” said another House speaker, Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
A third, Vivek Ramaswamy, added on Tuesday night: “I think many Democrats and independents across this country, watching this trial, understand that this is a political fraud.”
Actually that doesn't seem to be the case. Polls consistently show that Americans, while somewhat skeptical of the process, do not accept President Trump's persecution claims.
And in fact, there is some evidence that they may be working in the prosecutor's favor.
Unfortunately, there hasn't been much polling lately as Trump's trial has been in full swing in recent weeks. But what we do know is a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll released Tuesday shows a new high percentage of Americans believe that:
Trump falsified business records to hide hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels (52%). He committed a crime in doing so (47%). The crime warrants prosecution and trial (40%). The trial is worth it. Approval rate (49%)
Here's how those numbers have trended since Trump's indictment in March 2023. Note the increase from last month's poll. The polls were primarily conducted before the trial began and jury selection began.
Most of these numbers are around 50%, suggesting that the verdict is still out for many in the court of public opinion. But what's remarkable here is how few Americans hold the opposite view.
For example, only 22% of respondents said President Trump did not falsify business records. So while in March 2023 Americans were saying by a 19-point margin that President Trump falsified his records, they now say so by a 30-point margin.
If Americans say that by a 30-point margin Trump has done the things he is being accused of, it would seem to at least dispel the idea that this is all a baseless exercise.
Further, only 24% said Trump did not falsify records or that he did, but it was not a crime. The number of Americans who say President Trump committed crimes has increased from 9 points in March 2023 to 23 points now.
And only 37% disapproved of the trial. Over the past 14 months, this trend has been more or less consistent, although support has increased. Therefore, contrary to Vance and Johnson's claims, the American public currently approves of indictments and trials by double digits.
But perhaps the most shocking new numbers concern President Trump's gag order and the prison threat he faces.
These Republicans have tried to emphasize the idea that President Trump's free speech is under attack, but that view has become less widespread, including by saying exactly the things that got him into trouble. Apparently not.
In fact, a YouGov poll from The Economist last week found that Americans, 51% to 34%, say jail is the appropriate punishment for President Trump if he continues to violate the gag order.
President Trump going to prison for violating a gag order is probably the kind of red line his prosecutors can't cross, and an obvious stimulus for Trump's allies to rush to trial in droves. But the data we have shows that Americans could be okay with such drastic measures by a double-digit margin.
These are just a few polls by the same polling organization. And it's worth waiting for other testimony that will take place after Daniels and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen's testimony is entered.
It should also be recognized that many Americans have deep-rooted concerns about the fairness of trials. A New York Times poll released Monday found voters in six key states said 49% to 45% did not believe Mr. Trump would receive a fair trial. A poll conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University last week found that Americans, by a 44-39 margin, said they didn't think the trial was that fair.
But these and other polls suggest that some of that concern is coming from the left, and that President Trump will receive special treatment and also avoid accountability. I am concerned about this. In other words, not everyone is concerned about President Trump taking tough measures. Even if that were the case, it is not the majority opinion.
This suggests that the narrative spun by these Trump surrogates outside the courthouse is not spreading. Americans may not be big fans of this prosecution, but they clearly understand its basis.
This may explain why surrogates have suddenly appeared and tried to spread their message, and even ended up saying things that the judge warned could taint the case. do not have.
