A Way Forward after Trump Found Guilty

This is not the America we have known and loved. This is legal warfare striking at the heart of our republic. For the first time, an American President has been found guilty on 34 counts in a New York courtroom. As it now stands, he will be sentenced on July 11th. It may be unlikely Trump will be sentenced to prison, but even if the verdict ends up being repealed, what will be the result of this unanimous conviction on the November election and our growing political divide?

Will Americans rally behind a President wronged by a partisan assault on our legal system? Those who support him will clearly rally to his side. Within hours Trump doubled the record for daily contributions with a commitment of over $34 million, over twenty percent of which was from first time contributors. Right now, his support is growing.

That small New York jury, influenced by a biased judge, will not decide the future of America, voters will in November. Americans will have the opportunity to vote the verdict that counts most by reelecting Donald Trump President. But as positive as polls may appear right now for the past President, those voters who hate Trump are happy with the result and will show up at the polls to defeat that “felon” Trump.

The “Hate Trump” vote gave Biden the Presidency in 2020. Biden didn’t win on his personality or platform; it was the “hate Trumpers” who came out in record numbers to defeat Donald Trump. They have not gone away, and they now have more ammunition to fuel their hatred of the man.

Conservatives know that this next election is critical to the future of our republic. Candidate Biden presented himself as a harmless centrist ready to unite the country. But he governed as a progressive extremist using executive orders to end our energy independence, open our border to millions of illegal aliens, and spend our way into crippling inflation leaving many living paycheck to paycheck. Biden will claim that the rate of inflation has come down, but the result of months of inflation remain, putting more and more American on the brink of insolvency.

If people vote on whether they are better off after 4 years of Joe Biden, Trump’s conviction will mean little. Far too many Americans are hurting. No matter your age, politics, or race, if you can’t put food on the table for your family, you want a change. You remember what your life was like under Donald Trump. They will compare that to life under Joe Biden. The choice should be easy for another Trump victory.

But will that be the case in November. Now, there are strong reactions engendered by this kangaroo court and the travesty of these convictions. But it is a long way to November, and we are yet to see what the long-term impact of this court decision and possible additional convictions that may yet come. Some legal analysts have suggested that the New York case was the least likely charge to result in a conviction. Will Americans get weary of a wounded warrior, a President that is fighting against one partisan persecution after another?

Republicans are united in the belief that they must win this next election. Will there come a time that the baggage Trump carries into the election make his election unlikely? As of now, he is facing a failing opponent who has a hard time putting sentences together. But more and more Democrats are calling for Biden not to run and to find a new candidate to put forward.

What would happen if Biden steps down as President Johnson did? Who would Democrats put in his place? Would it be Michelle Obama? Some question putting a person up for election that has never been elected to any office. On the positive side, Michelle has no record to defend, she would bring back the aura of President Barack Obama’s Presidency, and she could easily disavow support for Biden’s controversial decisions. In short, she could be the Democrats dream candidate to rally behind.

On the morning after the verdicts and record donations to his campaign, Donald Trump said to America, “I will do what I have to do to save our country.” What if the early poll numbers for Trump begin to fade the closer we get to November? Would Donald Trump put America first if it looks more and more like he might lose to the candidate Democrats choose? Could he step down and campaign in support of a candidate with no negative baggage and powerful Contract with America? The Republicans have a strong bench of ready candidates and winning issues to support.

Right now, it is not clear his stepping down is necessary. But if it is, I hope that Donald Trump would put his love for country first. He has been wronged, but winning in November is more important than whether Donald Trump is our next President. Whoever Republicans elect would bring the right people to Washington and the policy priorities that matter to Americans would once again drive the focus of this great country.

Rest assured that if Trump is the Republican candidate in November, we must work to rally support for him. Just know that with the election irregularities that are sure to surface, our candidate must win big. If the GOP wins big, Democrats can’t cheat their way to victory. May Trump live up to his promise to do whatever he has to do to save this country, whether that means running himself or supporting someone else better positioned to win. But win we must! May it be so.