The Tangled Political Mess of Trump’s Criminal Conviction

Will Republicans succeed in convincing half the country to embrace an inverted understanding of the rule of law?

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raises his fist as he looks on during the NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 26, 2024 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

So it finally happened: Donald Trump was convicted in a criminal trial.

I’ll admit it’s a little uncanny how much everyone is doing and saying exactly what I assumed they would. On one side, most Democrats and anti-Trump (former) Republicans are managing to combine piety about the rule of law with giddiness about seeing the Teflon Don finally brought to his knees. Most Republicans, meanwhile, are apoplectic—with even perennial Trump critic and former presidential nominee Mitt Romney expressing dismay about the “political malpractice” of Democrats attempting to “put out the Trump fire with oxygen.”

Long-time readers will be unsurprised to hear that I largely agree with Romney.

The Rule of Law and/or A Political Hit Job?