As the former president of the United States, Donald Trump faces embarrassing accusations of having salacious relations with an adult film actress, the jury of public opinion seems to indicate that the majority of people are not interested.
Americans seem bored with the so-called “hush money” trial despite weeks of “juicy” testimony and live television coverage. Only 16% of those polled by YouGov/Yahoo News had been following the trial “very closely,” with only 33% registering even a moderate interest. When asked how they felt about the proceedings, more Americans replied “bored” or “angry” than intrigued. One gets the impression that the verdict could be a dud rather than a bombshell.
In court, Trump’s attorneys have sought to cast Stormy Daniels—real name Stephanie Clifford—as a liar, in keeping with Trump’s long-standing denial that the two had any inappropriate relations. They say Daniels capitalized on her fame from the accusation by selling various products. According to Susan Necheles, Trump’s defense attorney, the “actress” had a lot of experience making phony stories in her movies appear natural.
Instead of focusing on what transpired in the hotel room, the prosecution argued that the crime was committed to conceal the truth. In an effort to hide the compromising information from the voting public, Michael Cohen—Trump’s personal friend, lawyer, and fixer—paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 for silence just before the 2016 election.
Opinions on whether he has done anything wrong are deeply divided along political lines.
The ”hush money” trial, which is based on an accounting offense—the purported misrepresentation of payments to Michael Cohen as legal costs instead of payoffs—is the most weakly constructed of the four criminal charges that Donald Trump is facing. The likelihood of its success and its merits are hotly debated among legal experts.
Trump has been making daily remarks from the courtroom steps, claiming he is a victim of totalitarian persecution. Polling shows many agree.
If anything, Democrats have to come to terms with the fact that the judicial system is not going to be able to halt Donald Trump’s electoral momentum.
Only one of his four criminal cases—this one—is expected to be prosecuted before the November 5th election, and no one cares.
