Former US President Donald Trump speaks at the end of the day during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, New York, US May 21, 2024.WASHINGTON — Jurors hearing the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president could render their verdict in Donald Trump's hush money case as soon as next week, with potentially big implications for the 2024 White House race.
One in four Republicans said they would not vote for Trump if he is found guilty in a criminal trial, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll of registered voters in April. In the same survey, 60 per cent of independents said they would not vote for Trump if he is convicted of a crime.Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, doubts that as many as a fourth of Republicans would actually shun Trump if he's convicted.
Bill Galston, an analyst and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, said he didn't expect a guilty verdict would have a significant impact on the presidential race. "It's great fodder for him," McLaughlin said. "He will say, 'I won this sham trial, this witch hunt in New York, and that's what's going to happen with the other trials.'"