Former President Donald Trump made headlines after being the first president to be convicted of a felony in American history. He faces 34 counts of falsifying of business records to hide a sex scandal that threatened his 2016 campaign. The records include him paying a sum of $130,000 to Micheal Cohen, who was once Trump’s personal lawyer, in order for him to arrange hush money payments to prevent negative stories from spreading.
Trump’s immediate response to these charges was that he is an “innocent man” and that our country is “rigged” and “has gone to hell”. Unfortunately, Trump isn’t the only one attempting to dismiss his wrongful actions. He has gained overwhelming support from a large number of individuals. Just 24 hours after Trump’s conviction, his supporters were able to raise almost $53 million dollars to help cover his bail.
Not only have Trump’s supporters made immense efforts to raise money for his cause but they have also made several attempts to continue to rally support for his campaign. A video posted on NBC news shows a woman saying, “My president’s got street credit now. He’s been convicted of 34 counts. And you know what? There are a lot of people out there in the streets who were convicted too. So now you can relate to President Trump.”
Along with this Justin Neverus, in an interview with CBS News, said, “[m]y first reaction was sadness for America, sadness for Trump. At the end of the day, it’s only going to increase his support, like every other time they indicated.”
And while these comments might seem comical to some, unfortunately, they highlight a frightening reality about the upcoming 2024 election. In a Marist Poll, when asked if the “hush money” verdict impacts whether or not they’ll vote for Trump, 15% of respondents claimed it would make them even more likely to vote for him.
It might be easy to claim that there is only a small amount of people who think this way. However, this mindset is deeply problematic. Donald Trump’s conviction emphasizes the significant principle that even presidents are not above the law. They are subject to the same justice system as everyone else, which means they can face the same amount of accountability as everyone else. Making excuses and idolizing wrongful behavior is not acceptable, especially for those who are possibly responsible for our country. It is our duty as the people to hold individuals in power accountable.
No matter one’s political affiliation, individuals need to truly evaluate potential candidates with a very careful eye. It’s very easy to get caught up in the two-party political tension. However, elections are supposed to represent your vote and your values, not others. Think carefully as the future of the country is in the hands of one individual.
