As Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) noted on Thursday, the entire purpose of the sham prosecution of Trump was so that Joe Biden and the Democrats could refer to Trump as a convicted felon.
“You and I are going to hear those words repeated by Democrats and the corporate media about 1 billion times between now and Election Day," he told Greta Van Susteren of NewsMax. "That was the whole point: to scream felon, felon, felon, felon. This was politics and not law.”
That may have been the strategy, but will it work? It looks like it's backfiring drastically. Less than 24 hours after the verdict in the Trump trial, Trump's campaign raised nearly $35 million, mostly from small donors including 30% from first-time donors.
If that doesn't frighten the Democrats, a new snap poll from the Daily Mail will, as it shows Trump has seen a net increase in approval since the verdict.
"Teflon Don rides again, according to an exclusive snap poll for DailyMail.com which found that the guilty verdict in Manhattan only improved the former president's standing with likely voters ahead of the 2024 election," the paper reports.
The poll found that 22% of respondents indicated that the 34 guilty counts against Donald Trump had improved their perception of him, while only 16% reported a negative shift. "That six-point net positive result is another sign of the way the businessman-turned-politician seems able to ride out crises that would sink anyone else," the paper observed. "In a tight election, it could be enough to get him across the finish line."
This new snap poll from @DailyMail post-verdict will scare the hell out of Joe Biden and the Democrats. pic.twitter.com/g6MebAdJ2G
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) May 31, 2024
More from The Daily Mail:
'I think it was a waste of taxpayer money and will help propel Trump to a victory,' said a 42-year-old hip hop DJ from Illinois, who voted for Joe Biden in 2020.
In particular, the numbers show a four-point net positive impact among independent voters, the group that could decide who is the next president in November.
At the same time, the Trump campaign said it had enjoyed a fundraising bonanza in the hours after the verdict, bringing in $34.8 million from small dollar donors—nearly double its record daily haul.
Our poll was conducted in the hours after a jury foreman at Manhattan criminal court announced 34 guilty verdicts.
J.L. Partners, which conducted the poll for the Daily Mail, used an online panel of 400 likely voters to determine how the verdict would impact the election, and many Trump fans called the trial a "sham" or a "witch hunt."
Related: Mark Levin’s Legal Advice for Trump Is Spot On
"Our snap poll of a representative sample of likely voters shows that for most Americans the trial has not changed their deep-set views of Trump," said James Johnson of J.L. Partners. "'But amongst those who are open to changing their mind, people feel more positive by a margin of 6 points. That is outside of the margin of the error of the poll and we are saying that is significant."
And Trump's approval didn't just go up with Republicans.
"It extends to Independent voters too," Johnson said. "Look at the explanations and it is clear why: people feel it was a politically motivated trial and view Trump as a 'fighter' against what they see as injustice."
Related: Ted Cruz Explains the Purpose of the ‘Sham Prosecution’ of Trump
He added, "We will see how it translates into the voting intention polls in the coming days and weeks. But going by this poll we might not see much change in terms of the fundamentals of this race."
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