Trump’s communications aide Liz Harrington has recently claimed the former president was “ confused” by his allies’ plea deals because, in his apparent belief, “there’s no crimes here.” Powell, for her part, is still trying to have it both ways, portraying herself as a victim of a zealous prosecution and as a stalwart defender of Trump’s election lies.īut as some contemplate potentially cooperating with authorities, others have already publicly flipped, a decision that Trump now associates with “weaklings” who betray him. She has since also taken a plea deal this month, a move that shocked a number of top Trump lawyers and loyalists. Trump has gone out of his way to claim publicly that Powell was never his attorney while other Trump allies have worked to try to pin the blame for any criminal wrongdoing after the election on her. All of them say that Trump’s willingness to hang them out to dry has fueled legal strategies focused on self-preservation.īut her legal ordeal has brought her no meaningful help from the former president. Rolling Stone spoke to seven potential witnesses, former Trump confidants ensnared in the Fulton County, Georgia, and federal criminal probes, their legal advisers, and other sources familiar with the situation. That’s because, as is often the case with the former president, the notion of extreme loyalty only goes one way. If anything, it’s done the opposite, driving several possible key witnesses to consider throwing Trump under the bus before he gets the chance to do it to them. This has included - according to people who’ve discussed the matter with him - his belief that some of his former lieutenants should risk jail time rather than turn on him.Īs he’s faced an array of criminal charges, Trump’s demands for aides and lawyers to martyr themselves for him hasn’t saved him. What Biden's campaign is doing now is trying to remind all those voters why they ended up supporting Biden in the first place, and working to persuade them to do it again.Throughout the criminal investigations of Donald Trump, the former president has expected his co-defendants, alleged co-conspirators, and potential witnesses for the prosecution to stay fiercely loyal to him. Currently polls show Trump winning with the "haters" said Matthews. In 2020, among voters who disliked both Biden and Trump, in the end they tipped in favor of Biden. "However upset people are with whatever is bothering them at this moment, there are so many people who do not want that guy to get back into the White House," said Wikler.īiden needs to harness what Wikler called an "anti-MAGA" coalition. Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, says party volunteers recently went out knocking on the doors of people who are not normally Democratic voters, asking them what they care about and how they'd feel about Trump winning again. But that's also where a contrast can help. Voters say they are worried about inflation, the state of the world and the president's age and all of that is weighing down Biden's approval. "People are looking back and it's a little fuzzy but it seems like gosh, things weren't as expensive." "Right now the hazy veil of memory is benefitting Trump," she said. She said a lot of people tuned out after Biden was inaugurated and have forgotten the chaos and instability that were Trump's trademarks. "Everyone can see the latest polls, so if it is a referendum in 2024 on Joe Biden, he will lose," said Matthews, who runs Bellwether Research and does polling for moderate Republicans. And it's an absolute necessity for Biden, says pollster Christine Matthews. Trying to make a reelection campaign about a choice is a strategy as old as time. Politics Why Trump's authoritarian language about 'vermin' matters Now, Biden himself is not only naming him, but regularly using stark language about the dangers of a second Trump term. This is a pretty dramatic shift from a couple of years ago when Biden world treated Trump like Voldemort of Harry Potter book fame, the one who must not be named. So, they are working to give Trump a signal boost. "When he does that, we are going to raise the stakes for folks."Īs the Biden campaign sees it, the former president's extreme ideas are barely breaking through with voters, thanks to a combination of Trump fatigue and a fractured media environment. "Talking about rounding up Latinos, banning Muslims, rooting out his political enemies like 'vermin,' echoing the rhetoric that we've seen from folks like Hitler and Mussolini in the past," said Tyler, listing just some of Trump's recent pronouncements and proposals. Michael Tyler, the communications director for the Biden campaign, said Americans need to know what Trump is promising to do in a second term.
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