CNN panel frets after Trump says indictments are helping his bid to retake White House

Like an orange Obi-Wan Kenobi, it seems the more Democrats indict former President Donald Trump, the more popular he becomes among GOP voters, an unintended consequence that is clearly unsettling to CNN.

Trump has repeatedly asserted that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 37-count indictment is a politically motivated witch hunt that is only helping him in his quest to retake the White House, and on Sunday’s “Situation Room,” CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked panelists Maggie Haberman, Scott Jennings, and Ashley Allison if Trump “has a point that his legal troubles — and they are enormous — actually boost him in this race?”

(Video: CNN)

“And will that change any time soon?” Blitzer asked his guests.

Haberman put Trump’s “hold” on his supporters down to their tolerance for “drama.”

“Look, Wolf, we have seen that repeatedly now. He has been indicted twice, both times his poll numbers went up. Not enormously, but they did go up. And he got a fundraising boost, which was notable,” she replied. “Now, he is facing the possibility of two more indictments. We will see whether that comes to pass and we will see whether it has the same effect.”

“But there’s no reason to believe that it wouldn’t,” she added. “He has had this hold on a certain segment of the Republican Party for some time. And as much as people try to compare this race to the 2016 race, he is starting out higher than he did there.”

With respect to the possibility for “change,” Haberman said, “It’s very possible that his voters will leave him. It’s possible that they will decide that they are interested in DeSantis, who is essentially pitching himself as Trump without the drama, but the drama doesn’t seem to be something that bothers those voters.”

As BizPac Review reported in June, following Trump’s second indictment, a Marist Poll survey found that the former president received a boost from Republicans, with 50 percent believing that he didn’t do anything wrong, a 5-point uptick from 45 percent in a poll in March.

A majority — 64 percent — of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents stated at the time that they will support Trump if he stays in the race.


Blitzer asked CNN’s senior political commentator, Scott Jennings, about Trump’s campaign against Florida Governor and primary rival Ron DeSantis.

“Trump is hitting Governor DeSantis for his position on ethanol. But, remember, Ted Cruz actually won the Iowa caucuses back in 2016 despite opposing ethanol,” Blitzer told Jennings. “So, what do you make of the messaging from the former president?”

Trump, Jennings replied, is “pounding” DeSantis on everything.

“I think what I’m more interested is the fact that he just continues to pound DeSantis on that or anything else he can think of, because I think the campaign still views DeSantis as the only person who could even legitimately begin to put together enough voters to challenge him,” he said. “So, I’m not sure that that issue is going to be the definitive thing.”

“To me, it’s just the continued drumbeat attacks on one guy. It’s DeSantis,” Jennings added. “They don’t seem to be worried about anyone else in the field.”

Unless DeSantis starts really hitting back, said Ashley Allison, Trump is all but unstoppable.

“Trump is being consistent in his attack on Ron DeSantis. He is the closest person to potentially contest him at this point. Some other folks in the Republican field could get closer, but Trump is taking him directly on,” she said. “Now, it does appear that DeSantis in recent ads is starting to be more directly attacking Trump. But until they come — some of that field in the Republican party consolidates, it just doesn’t seem like one is going to be able to find a direct path to overcome Trump.”

Allison’s bigger concern is with the lack of “faith” Trump’s supporters have in the legal system.

“I find it interesting, though, that Trump is saying that the reason why he is being indicted is because he is leading, when we know that the investigations were going on long before he actually announced he was running for president,” she said. “And so, luckily, our legal system is not operated on politics but people who are supporting Donald Trump don’t seem to have faith in our legal system right now, which is also super troubling.”

Melissa Fine

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