Welcome to the online version of From the Political Bureauan evening newsletter featuring the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.
In today’s edition, senior political editor Mark Murray compares the Republican Party’s response to Donald Trump’s guilty verdict to its reactions to the 2016 “Access Hollywood” tape. Additionally, senior political reporters Jonathan Allen and Matt Dixon gauge political consequences of the hush money lawsuit.
‘Access to Hollywood’ vs. Now: How the GOP Learned to Get Behind Trump: From the Politics Desk
By Mark Murray
Nearly eight years ago, key figures in the Republican Party distanced themselves from Donald Trump after the “Access Hollywood” video showed him making lewd and aggressive comments about women.
Then-House Speaker Paul Ryan, Wis., did not invite Trump to a campaign event. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, asked him to resign as the Republican Party candidate. And then-Rep. Jason ChaffetzR-Utah, withdrew his endorsement.
“I am gone. I can no longer in good conscience support this person as president. These are some of the most disgusting and offensive comments imaginable,” Chaffetz said in October 2016.
Then Trump won the presidency just a month later.
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Since then—after two impeachments, a 2020 presidential defeat, and multiple indictments—the current Republican Party has learned to back Trump 100% when confronted with bad news about its former president and the current presumptive presidential nominee.
The response from Republican elected officials and candidates for office after Trump was found guilty of all 34 charges in the New York hush money trial was overwhelmingly supportive.
“This verdict is a travesty of justice,” said North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a potential Trump running mate.
“This case should never have been brought in the first place, and this miscarriage of justice is despicable,” said Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick.
“WE THE PEOPLE stand with PRESIDENT TRUMP!” Montana Senate candidate Tim Sheehy responded in a statement.
Meanwhile, Larry Hogan, Republican Senate candidate and former governor of Maryland, on
Monitoring the reaction of elected Republicans and congressional representatives will be the most instructive indication of whether the party stands behind Trump as its standard-bearer even after he is found guilty.
Because if there is no Republican distance or dissent, he is on track to remain the nominee.
Guilty but unashamed, Trump says he will see about it Biden in November
By Jonathan Allen and Matt Dixon
Donald Trump is guilty, but not ashamed. The question now is whether he will suffer politically from his crimes.
The first former US president to be convicted at trial – found guilty on Thursday of all 34 charges of plotting to help his 2016 campaign by falsifying documents to cover up an alleged sexual encounter – Trump quickly rallied for money and votes from the verdict.
Just minutes after the jury completed its work, he sent a fundraising message to donors, vowing at the courthouse that “the real judgment by the people will come on November 5” when he faces President Joe Biden in a rematch of their 2020 Elections.
Biden agreed.
“There is only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: through the ballot box,” he said in a statement on X, along with a link to donate to his campaign. He did not take a victory lap, utter an insult or make a prediction about Trump’s political downfall.
Trump also called himself a “political prisoner” in another fundraising appeal shortly after the ruling, even though he is not in prison.
There is simply no precedent for a convicted candidate carrying the banner of a major party during a general election. Many political experts say it is too early to tell whether the outcome will fuel Trump’s 2024 campaign or make it toxic for persuadable voters.
Democrats who spoke to NBC News on Thursday were divided on whether Biden would take a hit from the verdict, with some seeing real benefits in Trump’s troubles and others expressing more doubt.
“This is the outcome we wanted and is a new talking point against Trump, but it doesn’t mean much for the actual votes,” said a Biden campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity to express judgment without fear of retaliation.
On the other side of the political divide, Republicans followed Trump’s lead and expressed confidence that the jury’s decision would spark a strong backlash in his favor.
James Blair, political director of the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, held a conference call with state Republican party chairmen shortly after the results were made public, according to two people on the call.
“There’s a clear message they want to convey to us,” one attendee said of Trump’s political machine. “It is an unjust witch hunt. We will appeal and we will win the appeal. Guys, we just elected the next President of the United States.
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More coverage of the Trump ruling from NBC News
That’s all from The Politics Desk for now. If you have any feedback – like it or not – please email us at politicsnieuwsbrief@nbcuni.com
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
