President Donald Trump, 76, was slammed by key members of the Republican Party after his May 9 verdict in U.S. District Court, finding him civilly liable for the sex abuse and defamation suit brought by 79-year-old former Elle advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. While know one knows what really happened in a Bergdof Goodman lingerie dressing room around 1995 or 1996, what know for sure is that Trump didn’t grace the seven-day trial with his presence. Carroll, and her George Conway-picked attorney Roberta Kaplan took Carroll’s testimony and put 11 witnesses on the stand to sell their case to the jury. Trump’s 57-year-old attorney Joe Tacopina tired his best to discredit Carroll but in the end the jury saw too much evidence against Trump, whether any of it was true to not. Trump through a videotaped deposition emphatically disputed Carroll’s charges, claiming she fabricated everything.
Trump can’t get a fair trial especially in New York City where Republicans don’t have much standing. Whether Trump’s reputation preceded him or not, Kaplan certainly presented Trump past alleged indiscretions as evidence that the rape-at-Bergdorf Goodman was plausible enough to get a jury of his peers to find him liable. Whether his appeal of the verdict goes anywhere or not, Trump carries so much baggage at this point he can’t possibly represent the GOP in 2024. While the jury awarded Carroll $5 million, it’s a small price to pay for the New York real estate billionaire. Once Trump was convicted in Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg April 4 of 34 felonies, whether minor bookkeeping infractions or not, many Republicans can’t fathom Trump moving ahead with the 2024 campaign. No that Carroll won her case, the same doubters are telling Trump to drop out of the race.
Swirling in the background are even more legal problems for Trump related to Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots and the Aug. 4, 2022 raid at his Mar-a-Lago residence where classified documents were found. Even without another indictment, question’s about Trump’s viability as a 2024 candidate churn inside the GOP. “And look, you know, his response, to me, was ridiculous, that he didn’t even know the woman. I mean, you know, how many coincidences are we going to have her with Donald Trump?” asked fomer New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to Fox News Brian Kilmeade. Christie, 60, is considering a 2024 run, having nothing good to say about Trump. Trump remains, at this point, the front-runner among announced GOP candidates. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a popular alternative to Trump, hasn’t yet announce his 2024 bid but is expected to announce at any time.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, 72, also hasn’t announced his 2024 run but called Trump’s behavior “indefensible.” Christie and Hutchinson don’t get that GOP primary voters determine who’s going to be the party’s next nominee. Whatever Trump looks like today, he could easily fade as the race heats up, when GOP voters finally vote in GOP primaries. “Over the course of my 25 years of experience in the courtroom, I have seen firsthand how a cavalier and arrogant contempt for the rule of law can backfire,” Hutchinson said, referring to the Manhattan District Court ruling against Trump. Christie and Hutchinson were joined by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Ut.), one of Trump’s biggest critics in Congress, said he hoped GOP voters reached the same conclusion as a jury of his peers, that Trump should never become president again after found liable for sex abuse and defamation.
Opinions of GOP leaders influence the minds of GOP primary voters, recognizing that Trump’s baggage could put Biden back in the White House for four more years. Trump’s baggage in a one-to-one match-up with 80-year-old President Joe Biden could lose the White House for Republicans. Whether elected officials or other think that Trump would lose the election, primary voters are the ones that decide, not elected officials or bureaucrats in Washington. Voters call the shots in primaries. So, all the hubbub over opinions on Trump indictment or civil trial factor into whether primary voter see Trump as a libability. “Cumulative effect to just the constant drama and chaos that always seems to surround him,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), expressing reservations shared by many GOP officials. Whether admitted to or not, Trump gets more publicity than any other GOP candidate.
Holding a CNN town hall meeting tonight, 31-year-old moderator Kaitlan Collins was out of her league, playing fact-checker, constantly interrupting Trump while he won strong applause from the St. Anselm College, New Hampshire audience.. Kaitlan was over her head from the start, interrupting Trump, making it difficult for the audience to get in their questions. “The fact is, I do not think he could win the presidency,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tx.), concerned that all of Trump’s baggage hands the presidency, if he wins the nomination back to Biden. Republicans want an electable candidate because they have a real chance to win back the White House in 2024. “Regardless of what you think a bout him [Trump] as an individual, to me electability is . . the sole criterion,” Cornyn said, expressing the view of many GOP elected officials. Judging by the CNN town hall, Trump hasn’t lost a beat.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
