In the US where 35% of the population views Donald Trump as a kind of Jesus' emissary, the verdict may exacerbate an already dangerous polarization.
However, according to political science professor Dennis Goldford, Trump's opinion support will not be affected.
When the jury announced that it had found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts related to accounting fraud and attempted election interference, strong emotional reactions erupted outside the courthouse in New York. Many cheered, but there was also a group in red hats who swore and screamed "not guilty".
These can be counted among the approximately 35% of voters who belong to Trump's loyal so-called "Maga" supporters. Many of them are deeply religious and belong to the white working class in the US, a voter group that the Democrats have lost touch with, according to Goldford.
Maga Republicans buy into Trump's politics and doctrine of putting America first. Many of them also sign under Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was rigged – just like the just-concluded trial.
Since many Maga supporters sign under the claims of a rigged system, the verdict will not affect their sympathies for Trump, who has secured the delegates needed to become the Republican candidate in the fall presidential election. Instead, it will be strengthened.
And what about the other Republican voters?
Most buy into Trump as the party's candidate, citing promised tax cuts or deregulation or simply out of fear of the controversial leader. The percentage of Republicans who say they will never vote for Trump, such as the former Representative Liz Cheney, currently accounts for only a few percent, according to Goldford.
It appears that the US presidential election on November 5th will be between the incumbent President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and the Republican ex-President Donald Trump.
Currently, Trump has a national support of 47.6% compared to 46.7% for Biden, according to a compilation of current polls.
Trump leads Biden in all seven swing states, where it stands and weighs between Republican and Democratic majorities, and where the election is effectively decided.
SOURCE: Politics website Real Clear Politics
