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We abide by the political fallout from Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 counts. Laura Barron-Lopez listened to the Republican electorate about the effect this has on their minds about the former president and the upcoming election.
Note: Transcripts are generated through machines and humans and are modified for accuracy. They would possibly involve mistakes.
Amna Nawaz:
To learn more about the political implications of Trump’s conviction, Laura Barron-Lopez heard from Republican voters how it affects their opinion of the former president and the upcoming election.
Laura, to see you.
Laura Barrón-López:
It’s being here.
Amna Nawaz:
So we looked at that organization today and an organization of voters the next day to blame the verdict. How did they react?
Laura Barrón-López:
Amna, this concentrated organization made up of the electorate that voted for Donald Trump twice in 2016 and 2020. And they were already a little opposed to it, but it’s quite possible that some of them had returned to it.
And this was carried out through an organization led by Republican strategist Sarah Longwell. And so, after that verdict, they said, about six of them, there were nine in total, about six of the electors said that the fact that those were crimes that Trump had been convicted of carried more weight to them than if they were misdemeanors.
And of those nine voters, five said that made them less likely to be Trump, adding Michele, 52, of Florida.
Michele, Florida:
I’m tired of lies. I’m tired of nonsense. And I believed the testimony. And that’s why I’m glad the jury found him guilty. And I also think that, now that he’s a convicted felon, he’s absolutely incapable. You can’t pass a critical security clearance at this stage.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to vote in Florida. I probably won’t be allowed to travel to other countries as a criminal. This is not appropriate. Enough, Republicans. Find someone else.
Laura Barrón-López:
And Michele, that voter, Amna, Michele, had voted Republican all her life, voted twice for Trump. But this verdict weighed heavily on him. This carried a lot of weight among other voters, some of whom also mentioned Jan. 6 as anything — the insurrection as something that had begun to convince them that they might no longer vote for Trump.
Amna Nawaz:
Therefore, Michele, from Florida, is less likely to vote for him after the verdict.
Did you feel more inclined toward Trump in the wake of the verdict?
Laura Barrón-López:
One of the nine electors in the concentrated organization said the verdict made it more likely for Trump.
And it’s Mark, 54, from Florida (sorry), Georgia, and he called it a mock trial.
Marcos, Georgia:
It’s a double standard. It’s a politicized prosecution. It is about elevating what is a misdemeanor to a crime only for political purposes.
Laura Barrón-López:
Voters were also asked whether this ruling had led them to accept the judicial formula more as true, to accept the left-wing justice formula as true, or if it had not replaced their minds.
And 3 of them said it had led to greater acceptance in the justice system. Most said it didn’t replace their belief in the system. Mark, whose testimony we just heard in Georgia, said he had less confidence in the justice system.
But as for whether they thought Trump would go to jail or not, Valerie, 64, also from Georgia, had a very firm answer to that question.
Valeria, Georgia:
He begins a criminal sentence, the felony – he – pays the penalty for the crime. We all know what’s going to happen. They will negotiate and renegotiate. And he won’t serve any time, but he’ll have more TV time here at election time.
Laura Barrón-López:
And finally, they were asked: If you had to choose between President Biden or Donald Trump, who would you choose in November?And about six of them said they would vote for Joe Biden. One of them, Mark, whom we heard, said he would vote for Trump.
And one or two of them were either essentially unsure or said they wouldn’t vote.
Amna Nawaz:
An idea there.
Laura, as you know, and we’ve heard it before, Mr. Trump has also continued his attacks on the ruling in that case, Judge Merchan. Over the past 24 hours, we’ve noticed Republicans relentlessly attacking the ruling in that case. , the judge on the daughter of, the judicial system. What is the effect of all this rhetoric?
Laura Barrón-López:
Well, we’re starting to see a direct impact, Amna, because, as you’ve noticed, a lot of Republicans, in addition to Donald Trump, have said this: They’ve tried to sow doubt about the judicial system, they’ve gotten directly attacked by the sentence handed down in this case.
And I’m working with Advance Democracy, a nonprofit research organization that tracks far-right social media, and it gave us a first look at the knowledge they’ve amassed since yesterday’s verdict. And they’ve been tracking social media on X, formerly known as Twitter, Telegram, TRUTH Social, which is Trump’s social media site, and they’ve noticed an uptick in calls for violence and violent speech.
They also saw an increase in calls to juries and dox judges. And here are some examples.
On Telegram, one of them posted: “Let them hang the corruption trial. “
In a Patriots Win call, another follower said, “Someone in New York who has nothing to lose wants to deal with Judge Merchan. Let’s hope he’s facing illegal immigrants and a machete. “
And then he posted: “We want the judge’s address, as well as his daughter’s. And we will protest peacefully, but, in the end, take off your gloves and do your duty. “
Now, by posting them on Telegram, Amna, is also used through Proud Boys. The Proud Boys were on Jan. 6. So, in general, there’s been an increase in calls for violence, an increase in calls for doxxing. And, potentially, it turns out that a user has indeed misled a juror, but is still looking to determine whether or not it’s that juror’s deal.
Amna Nawaz:
Laura Barrón-López, report, as always. Thanks a lot.
Laura Barrón-López:
Thank you.
Laura Barron-Lopez is a White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, where she covers Biden’s tenure for the nightly news. She is a CNN political analyst.
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