Donald Trump’s Strong Suit
Author: Greg Valliere
August 28, 2024
JUST WHAT DONALD TRUMP NEEDED: Still another indictment, which gives him a chance to incite his base with a charge that the government will not relent in a witch hunt against him.
WE HAVE LONG CONTENDED that Trump has actually benefitted from these legal issues, because they keep his name in the news and allow him to allege that the government has a vendetta against him. The indictment last night by Jack Smith may actually help Trump.
SMITH’S INDICTMENT CHANGES SOME WORDING from the initial January 6 indictment, but there is no chance that this case will be resolved before the November 5 election. If Trump wins, most analysts believe he will pardon himself once he’s sworn in; if he loses, it’s likely that the Harris administration would pursue federal charges.
WE’RE NOW IN THE VOLATILE climate that we predicted yesterday, with Trump insisting that Democrats have engineered a “coup” against him. He’s preparing voters for potential litigation, as is Smith.
THE TEMPERATURE IS RISING FAST THIS WEEK, with a TV interview on CNN scheduled for tomorrow night with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz finally submitting to detailed questioning. Harris has much at stake; even a modest gaffe could give Trump an opening.
HE NEEDS ONE, because polls continue to show Trump trailing by 4 to 7 points. The big polling story this week comes from North Carolina, where Harris trailed by nearly 10 points just a month ago. New polls show her ahead by 2 or 3 points now, prompting the Cook Report to switch the Tar Heel state from “leaning Republican” to “toss up.”
WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND A PIECE IN YESTERDAY’S Real Clear Politics, always a great resource. The article detailed Trump’s pattern of over-performing his polls, which often fail to capture his grass roots support. He plays the role of martyr very adroitly, as Jack Smith will see once again.
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