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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. Of those who said the 34 guilty counts had changed their view of Donald Trump , 22 percent said they now had a more favorable rating compared with 16 percent who said they viewed him more negatively.
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. In a tight election, it could be enough to get him across the finish line. ‘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. The poll was conducted in the hours after a jury foreman at Manhattan criminal court announced 34 guilty verdicts. J.L. Partners used an online panel of 400 likely voters to assess the impact on the election.
Respondents were asked to explain their opinion. Not surprisingly, many Trump fans denounced the trial as a ‘sham’ or a ‘witch hunt,’ using the candidate’s own language. But plenty of people who voted for him in 2020 said they were horrified by what it said about the man. ‘For a Republican like myself it’s all very embarrassing,’ said a retired electrician in North Carolina, one of the battleground states. ‘It’s like finding out your sister is a prostitute.’
In contrast, 2020 Joe Biden supporter in the swing state of Arizona said: ‘I just think it was a railroad job, even though I am not a fan of Trump. It’s totally ludicrous.’ No former president or presumptive party nominee has ever faced a felony conviction or the prospect of prison time. It takes the nation into uncharted territory. James Johnson, who conducted the poll, said Trump might be waking up as convicted felon but he was winning over the voters who matter.
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,’ he said. ‘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. ‘It extends to Independent voters too. 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.
‘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.’ But the campaign and Trump’s allies had been preparing for a guilty verdict for days. They repeatedly denounced the hush money prosecution as political and as a ‘kangaroo court.’ The Trump campaign believes most people had tuned out of coverage of the trial and voters were more worried about the economy and their bank accounts than accusations of falsified invoices and ledger entries.
‘This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,’ said Trump on Thursday after he left court. ‘The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people.’ Last year, Trump saw his standing in the polls improve with each of four criminal indictments. His Fulton County, Georgia, mugshot became a key part of fundraising and merchandise pushes.
Even so, the verdict seemed to come as a shock. The court was winding down for the day on Thursday, with the jury about to be sent home when it handed a note to the court saying its verdict was ready. Trump had spent the say huddled with lawyers, aides and friends, including developer Steve Witkoff.
When he returned to the courtroom, waiting for the verdict, he chatted with lead lawyer Todd Blanche, looking as if he was unconcerned that his fate had been decided. But he looked deflated as he left court, his head slightly stooped. He briefly clasped hands with son Eric. His campaign swiftly swung into action, with a flurry of fundraising emails. Aides reported a deluge of contributions that crashed WinRed, the platform it uses for raising money.
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